The blessing of the boiling point
Published 12:36 pm Tuesday, October 14, 2014
During our recent “water days” I was reminded of that famous line from Coleridge’s Rime of the Ancient Mariner. “Water, water, everywhere but not a drop to drink…”
Since our boil water alert coincided with Yom Kippur, I also found myself reflecting on the triumphs and trials of God’s people in the Old Testament. The exodus of the ancient Jews from Egypt caught my attention.
After 400 years of captivity they celebrated new-found freedom. But after only a few days into their joyful journey towards the Promised Land, they were hostages once again.
This time they were victims of their own thirst. No drinkable water was in sight.
Dreams of exploring “a land of milk and honey” gave way to longings for a simple sip of water.
As residents of a fairly affluent community we relate. Freed from the captivity of hourly-wage occupations and no longer enslaved by financial worries, we eye our own “promised land” of comfortable lifestyles and early retirements.
Living in one of the most desirable zip copes in America finds us self-sufficient, self-focused and often insulated from the suffering of people a continent or two away. That is until our drinking water is contaminated and what we mindlessly take for granted is denied.
Like the ancient Jews, when we found ourselves without drinking water, we had a choice. We could gripe and complain or we could choose to let the problem refocus our perspective. Most likely we responded both ways.
So did our spiritual ancestors.
Initially, the freed slaves of Pharaoh read Moses the riot act. But then, they saw in their dilemma an opportunity to alter their perspective, trust Yahweh and mature in their faith.
When the water issues of our community reached the boiling point for the second time in a week, School Superintendent Gary Plano chose not to cancel classes.
While providing alternative water sources and assuring parents of their students’ safety, Dr. Plano saw an opportunity to help kids understand the plight of the 2/3 world.
What we assume is normal life is merely a dream for millions. What a great teachable moment!
But E. coli contamination scares aren’t the only times we find ourselves in hot water. Our comfortable lives are often blindsided by unexpected unemployment, an unanticipated doctor’s diagnosis and unthinkable heartache related to our aging parents and adult children.
It’s at times like these where we’d do well remember heat has a purifying effect in our lives… if we let it!
The Rev. Greg Asimakoupoulos is the Chaplain at Covenant Shores retirement community on Mercer Island
