Stereotypically as a final year under- graduate student you are expected to be stressed.
Our culture dictates it as part of third year life, and we should just accept it right? Writing a dissertation, keeping on top of work, attempting to keep up with part-time jobs and maybe even attempting to have a social life or church life. Our culture expects this from us, we find ourselves in a bubble, eyes focused on our laptops unable to pull our minds away from deadlines and what other things we have to do in our weeks. So when someone asks me “what are you reading in the Bible?” “How’s your prayer life?” Sometimes I stare at them blankly (holding that guilty feeling in my chest) and just say, “It’s been such a busy week, I just didn’t have time”.
I was reading John chapter 4 recently, the story of the woman at the well. But I read it with a slightly different perspective than I had before. Vs 13-14 Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again and again. Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst- not ever!” A few weeks ago I fell into the stereotypical expectation of a third year student. My bubble burst, everything got a little too much, there didn’t seem to be enough hours in the day to get all my stuff done, never mind God time.
But when I read this is hit me. I was draining myself daily, accepting and drinking in the lies of this culture. I was drinking the water in the well. The water that will never sustain me, the water that will only cause me to burn out. But Jesus says, “Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst-NOT EVER!”