Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Maylan Schurch
Friday, November 14, 2025
Thursday of this week I spent some time at our local library working on my sermon. Not far from where I sat was this water fountain.
A young mom approached the fountain accompanied by a little red-haired girl who couldn’t have been much older than a year old. The toddler was staring around at everything with intense curiosity. Mom rolled the black plastic stool in front of the fountain, and lifted the girl so she could stand on it.
Then Mom demo’d how to use the water fountain, and the little girl tried it out. She knew that to get water, you had to push the oblong metal button, but she didn’t know you had to keep the button pushed. So she pushed the button, saw the arc of water, then took her hand off the button, and as she leaned forward to drink, the water stopped. At this point I strolled past, on my way to the books-on-hold shelves to see if anything had come in for the Schurch family. In passing, I asked mom, “First time at the water fountain?” Mom gave me a delighted smile. “Yes!” she said, and pulled out her cell phone, prepared to snap a photo of the girl and her attempt to get a drink.
I’m still grinning when I think of that little scene. It reminded me of how Jesus called Himself the Water of Life, and how patiently He introduced Himself to first to a Samaritan woman (John chapter 4) and then to us, and offered us a drink.
I’m sure that after a few more moments, the little girl became expert at operating that water fountain. And I’m just as sure that Jesus is overjoyed when we make it a habit to drink of that Living Water.
To learn or review what the Bible says about Jesus’ mission, click the link just below: