20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels.
There is nothing extra ordinary about this story. This young girl sees the stranger, he asks for water, she gives him water and provides for his camels. And yet there are lessons to be learned from this simple story. Some of the most important moments of our lives happen when our schedules get interrupted. She is on her daily water run. She has accomplished this task hundreds of times. She has never met anyone at the well before, especially a man. Sometimes she meets her friends along the way, but usually it is a very mundane task. But today her routine is stopped. There is a man sitting at the well with camels. He is on a journey and asks for water. Her life is about to change and she doesn’t know it. God uses interruptions to get our attention and often changes the course of our lives through interruptions. She could have just continued in her routine. She was a young woman being approached by a man, a very taboo gesture in those days. She is also alone with him. And she doesn’t know his character. She could have ignored his request and gone back to town with her jar of water. But instead, she serves him water. She also cares for his camels. She descends into the well repeatedly to get enough water to meet the need. That was a lot of work. Interruptions can draw energy from our everyday tasks. They can even tire us out taking energy from other areas of our life and activities. But God wants to use the interruptions. So next time you are interrupted, look for the Lord around the corner. It could be that God is trying to get your attention. Are you willing to give up your agenda and follow His? When this young girl stopped her agenda, God was able to include her in salvation history. Maybe God wants to include you in the salvation history of someone today. Are you willing?
The Arnold Journey 