I remember waking up in the middle of the night so thirsty that I could have sworn there was a glass of water next to my bed. It was like one of those cartoons where the character thinks he sees an oasis and starts drinking the water only to find it is sand.

We are thirsty in every way nearly every day of our lives from the moment of our birth. Our bodies constantly need water, and our hearts and minds are thirsty for . . . well, we don’t always know what for. Entertainment? Thrills? Information?

And just like when we’re so thirsty that we think there’s a glass of water beside the bed, we will reach for whatever looks like it will relieve the dryness. For a moment, we might think it helped, but the thirst comes back again stronger. It will only ever be the living water flowing from the Holy Spirit that refreshes us.