Like many American families, we spend weekdays and weekends going from one activity or commitment to another. So like many other families, we recently enjoyed a great, fun getaway at Great Wolf Lodge. The lodge has an indoor waterpark, complete with giant slides, fountains, hot tubs, wave pools, lazy river, kiddie play pool, and more. When we arrived, there was a good bit of snow on the ground from the major snowfall that had hit north Texas, but inside the waterpark, the temperature was kept at a steady 84 degrees. It was still a challenge to keep our son Will warm - he tends to turn blue in cool water.
The first day, Will played in the water for 20 or 30 minutes and then went back to the room with Granny to get dressed and warm up. The next day he sat wrapped in towels to stay warm while the rest of us frolicked. Then that evening we discovered the hot tub for kids. Unlike the one for adults, this hot tub was heated to a warm - not hot- temperature and was open to kids. We quickly learned that once Will got chilled (i.e., his lips turned blue), we could take him into the hot tub until his color returned and then go back for more play in the pools. He especially liked the hot tub because he could swim in it (with a life vest on). He also enjoyed visiting with all the other people who were warming up in the hot tub. Once he had a way to get warm, Will did not tire of the waterpark. He went back and forth between the kiddie pool, the wave pool (his favorite) and the hot tub.
His need for recharging in the warm waters reminded me of how we all need to recharge in our Christian walks. Don't we get a bit too cool as followers of Christ sometimes? We get chilled to the point that we just want to sit wrapped in a warm blanket, focused solely on our own comfort. Perhaps our ministries don't seem to be as effective as they should be. Maybe our kind deeds are not warmly received and our fire gets put out. Perhaps there are obstacles in our way, and after running into them time after time, we just decide to give up. Instead of withdrawing, what if we run to the warm living waters of Jesus Christ? We can recharge, refresh, and become vessels pouring out Christ's love to others. Jesus himself is inviting us:
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30
Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." John 7:37-38
