Life Happens On the Way There

Isn't it wonderful that God loves us and wants to give us real life? He's always ready to whisper into our hearts what will take us, if we act on it, to the place of meaning and blessing. So we come for another conversation with him, listening to his Word as shared by the Apostle John in John 4:1-42. It's a great story! What do you see here? What is God saying to you?

First, you and I who follow Jesus have the honor of being on mission with God. He has assignments for me. There are things he wants to use me (and you) to accomplish, utilizing our particular skills and abilities and experiences. How do I know what his assignment is? I can be sure that wherever I am, whatever I am doing, God has an assignment for me right here and right now. It may very well not be his final assignment, though.

Jesus had a big assignment back in Galilee (v. 3). God had ministry for him to do there and it was going to require Jesus to leave what he was presently doing in Judea. And God may have a big assignment for me or for you that is going to require a change of context or a move. He may have somewhere in mind that he wants to place us that is not where we presently are. It could be a job change. It could be new relationship. It could be a move across town or across the country. So we have to be open. God may have a Galilee in mind for me and you--a major assignment that will take a significant amount of time to accomplish.

But Jesus first "had to go through Samaria." (v. 4)

Now, it is true that Samaria was the region that lay between Judea and Galilee, where Jesus was headed. But the fact is that Jews almost never went through Samaria to travel between the two Jewish provinces. They went around it. So John's statement that "he had to go through Samaria" would have caught the attention of his original readers who understood the typical travel patterns of the day. "What?" they would have asked. "Why did he have to go through Samaria?"

The answer to that question is implied in the story that follows. Jesus had to go through Samaria because there was a certain town where there were people ready to hear the Good News of God's reign through Christ. And it would all begin with a single woman, an outcast among her own people.

Often, before we arrive where God is wanting to plant us for an extended period of time or for the big thing, there are the shorter assignments--a life to be touched here, a lesson to be learned, character to grow. God has an assignment on the way to the assignment. Are you with me? Before we get to Galilee we may have to go through Samaria, where there is something very important for us to do. Someone there needs us. Someone there may have been waiting all their lives for what you or I can share with them. Someone may never be the same after the way you took time to sit and talk with them by the proverbial well and tell them about the One who can fill their empty jar.

So today, as I reflect on the close of one chapter of my life, one important ministry that God gave me to do that seemed all too short, I realize that I've been in Samaria. Another assignment still lies ahead. What about for you? You may not feel like you've found "the thing" yet either, but where you are now has a reason behind it. Use it. Open your eyes and ask God to show you the person or people he wants you to impact. Don't make the mistake of under-valuing the Samaria's along your life's journey.

Lord, I'm yours. You are my leader, and I will follow you. Show me what you have for me to do today, and lead me to where you want me tomorrow. Amen.

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