Have you noticed the way kids gravitate toward the water?
Most summers, mine are often wet, whether it be the doing of the garden hose, lake, neighborhood pool, or some other fun form of glistening and slippery entertainment. (I made a trip down memory lane finding some water picture from over the years.)
From very early on, babies are calmed by water. For many families, bath time is part of a nightly routine that gives rhythm to those early years. Maybe we are innately drawn to water as a reminder of the one to whom we should ultimately draw: Jesus, who told the woman at the well that He is the living water. Jesus answered, “Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13b NIV). The very fact that the human body on average is made of 60% water reminds us of our unavoidable need for water and more importantly, He who is the living water.
Something I love about water is that it is the great equalizer. We took the kids to the ocean for the first time a few summers ago, and it was as glorious as I had hoped. The waves splashing against our sand sprinkled feet were worth the investment in a condo rental, gas money, and everything else that driving 11 hours for a beach vacation entails.
But most summers, there has been and will be no ocean. And that’s ok too. Because there were also the times where I took my kids to a free fountain in the middle of a city park, and they adored it. On one particular visit, to add to the magic, the overcast sky sprinkled rain while they played in the water structure.
And that’s the beautiful thing about water and kids and summertime – you mix them all together and they have a grand time whether you’ve taken them on an elaborate cruise or whether you’ve taken them to the creek to hunt crawdads.
And isn’t that just like so many of the reminders from the Bible that deal with water? God is not a respecter of persons, and He does not elevate some people or man-made experiences as better than another. When the prophet Elisha gave the army commander (and leper) Naaman directions on how to have his leprosy healed, he sent him to dunk seven times in the muddy Jordan River, a place where common people visited, rather than to an exclusive healing spring. It was a reminder to be humble and see God at work amidst ordinary scenery.
Some of Jesus’ best-known miracles happened near water, whether it was His telling the weary fishermen (soon to become disciples) to cast their net one more time and reap a boat full of fish or Jesus calming the storm or walking on water.
Water is such a simple thing, such a necessary part of everyday life, that it plays a pivotal role in the Bible as the means through which the Lord often revealed himself as the God who is among His people. Whether it was Yahweh instructing Isaac to dig a well and find water in a dry place or Jesus performing his first miracle of turning water into wine, these stories remind us God’s grace amidst ordinary life. Then in contrast, God’s glory was revealed through awesome stories of His might through acts like parting the Red Sea or sending a great fish to swallow Jonah.
Yet our children are probably not waxing theological when they run through the sprinkler or perfect a cannon ball while diving off the diving board.
They are just being kids trying to cool off from the heat during another day of freedom. But these reminders of how something as simple as water can make them so happy are a gift from the Giver of Good Gifts. We don’t need to give them an extravagant experience for them to make memories. Splashing in rain puddles can bring just as much joy as swimming in an infinity pool at a five-star resort.
The very cyclical nature of water as something that reliably goes through evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and then over again is a promise of consistency.
Even as our children daily change in little and big ways, their pull to the water and its consistent nature can orient us to a Heavenly Father who is unchanging and unwavering in His promises. Yet through the symbolism of baptism through water, He gave us the opportunity to show that we have been forever changed, leaving behind what is old for that which is new and incorruptible.
So, here’s to seeing the beautiful gift of water even if your kids are playing in a kiddie pool rather than on a tropical beach. Both are a reminder of our need to have “our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:22b.) And a dip in the pool definitely counts as a shower, so there’s that too.
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