Sweet Tea, The Pea & Me

I have been thirsty since February. For the first time in my life, I’m fasting for Lent. For whatever reason, I felt the need to give up something this year, to make a kind of sacrifice for spiritual growth. I tried to think of something that would be a sacrifice for me…caffeine? Not really a sacrifice for me personally. Chocolate? That would be tough, but I try not to keep any chocolate in the house, so it wouldn’t be a huge temptation. I decided to give up tea. I must admit that tea is my vice. The sweet elixir I look forward to each morning…usually in the form of steaming English Breakfast Tea. As I’m sipping my morning cup of tea, I’m boiling water to brew my daily pitcher of sweet tea. (I’m a Kentucky girl, what can I say?) During the day I devour glass upon glass of icy cold sweet tea. At night, I switch to Chai Tea Lattes.
I find it odd that I am literally thirsty all the time. You would think water could quench my thirst as well as tea. But even though I gulp down water, I am still aching for more to drink. I’m never completely satisfied.
A few weeks ago, the Pea was looking through her Sunday School papers…which she keeps piled on her bedside table. She found a booklet she’d constructed called Jesus Makes A Choice. The premise was Jesus’ choice to use scripture (God’s Word) to ward off temptation in the wilderness. The Pea skipped down the stairs with her book to share with me. (“Mamma, we’re gonna have a little review…” says my child theologian.) The left hand side of each page lists what Satan said to tempt Jesus, and hidden under a paper flap on the right hand side of each page is Jesus’ scriptural reply to thwart the Devil. My daughter’s timing is perfect (God’s timing?) as Lent reminds us of this 40 day time frame when Jesus was in the wilderness, fasting, and being tempted (to no avail) by Satan.
Knowing Jesus has been without food for weeks and weeks, the Devil says: “Command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” (The Pea tells me Jesus’ scriptural reply and flips up the flap to reveal that she is correct. Her eyebrows arch as if to say, “Now YOU review this so that you, too, can make good choices). Jesus answered, “It is written ‘One does not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD” This is a scripture verse from the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy 8:3.
I’ve committed this verse to memory and pondered it often during the past month. Fasting from tea, my thirst has not been quenched. But I have sought to quench my spiritual thirst by exploring the Bible – the Word of God--, deeper, on a daily basis. Yesterday I came across the story of the woman at the well. Jesus asked for a drink of water from the Samaritan (Jews rarely associated with Samaritans, whom they deemed “unclean.” No doubt the woman was shocked Jesus would even speak to her, much less ask for some water.) Jesus goes on to talk about living water, He tells her, “Everyone who drinks from this (well) water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14)
I am counting the days until Easter, when I will be able to drink tea again, when I will be able to quench my thirst after the 40 day sacrifice. During this time I’ve prepared my heart for a celebration of the ultimate sacrifice: Jesus – who was within sin – executed on the cross, taking the blame for my sins, so that I might live forever with God. On Easter we celebrate His rising from the dead to be with God, his Father, in heaven.
Blessings as we dive into Holy Week.
Or as The Pea would say, “Love ya, mean it!”