There once was a woman at the well, in the middle of the day, when the sun is at its highest. She chose this time of day because no one else would be around. Why do we choose to go to places when no one else is going to be there…because we are full of shame, we are afraid of being mocked, ridiculed, or even made fun of? We are hiding from those who point their fingers, who snicker behind our backs, and whisper to others about all the terrible things that we have done.
At this exact moment, Jesus chose to stop at this same well. He did not shy away from the “untouchable”. He respected her, He spoke to her, He chose HER to spread the Good News! The instant she realized that He is the Messiah she dropped her bucket (her source of life, her livelihood, her shame) and she ran as fast as she could to tell everyone about Him. She didn’t care if they persecuted her or if they gossiped behind her back for she wanted each of them to know the One who Knew her intimately.
Because of the Love this woman shared with others many people from this village came to know the Majesty of Christ. They said to her, ‘now we believe, not just because of what you said, but because we heard Him for ourselves’. It is not our job to change people’s hearts or force them to be nice to us, we just need to share with each of them our personal experiences with Jesus. I know that so many of us feel worthless, used up, like an outcast, but God desires to use us just as we are!
LoriBeth Brown, LPC