During the time of Christ's ministry on the Earth, there was much animosity between the Jews and Samaritans. The Samaritans were a mixed people that were decedents of "foreign colonists placed there by the kings of Assyria and Babylonia and Israelites who escaped at the time of the captivity" (Bible Dictionary). Due to this their religion was also mixed. The Samaritans had claimed a share in the rebuilding of the temple at Jerusalem, but this was denied them and they became bitter opponents of the Jews. The hatred between the two people grew so intense that Jews would take a longer route when traveling between Judea and Galilee to avoid the Samaritans who were considered "more unclean than a Gentile of any other nationality"(Talmage, Jesus the Christ, p. 172).
However, Jesus Christ traveled through Samaria and stopped at a well where he met and spoke to a Samaritan woman. Due to the relations between Jews and Samaritans she was surprised and I imagine a bit confused that Jesus spoke to her. She responded that "the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans" (John 4:9), yet Jesus continued to speak with her and share personal things he knew about her and her life. He then invites her to partake of his living water which is symbolic of the Lord Jesus Christ and his teachings and how it is necessary for us to obtain eternal life, just as water is essential for physical life.
This teaches me two things about Jesus Christ and how he feels about me. First, Jesus does not care whether I am a man or a woman, where I was born, my age, or what color my skin is. What he does care about is whether or not I choose to follow him and live his gospel. This is how he feels about all of God's children. "And he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile"(2 Nephi 26:33). This scriptural account of the Samaritan woman also helps me to better understand that Jesus Christ knows me. Just as he knew of the woman's five husbands (John 4:18), he knows that I have a husband and two children, that I worry about balancing all my responsibilities and still giving enough attention to my children to ensure that they know that I love them and that Heavenly Father loves them too, that I have a strong desire to be obedient, that I also have a weakness of caring too much for having a space of my own to spend lots of money decorating it.
Which brings me to my next point, in Jeremiah 2:13 it says, "they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water." These broken cisterns represent all the things we may fill our lives with trying to fill what can only be filled by the Savior Jesus Christ. But like the broken cistern, no matter how much of these things we add to our life they will always leak out eventually leaving us feeling thirsty. I haven't shared much on this blog since Adam lost his residency position a little over a year ago. It's been a difficult experience and one that is hard to share. The experience left us often feeling vulnerable and worried about how others may be judging us, and it is not easy to give out details about the biggest trial of our life. I hope that what I do share, you will accept with kindness and understanding since this is my life I am talking about. Perhaps as I begin to write on this blog again I will be able to share more over time, but tonight I want to share a bit of what I am learning from this experience about broken cisterns. A year ago our lives (or what we had imagined our life would become) was ripped out from under our feet. We spent months trying to figure out what the new plan would be, what career Adam would pursue if podiatry did not present itself as an option any longer (a story for another day), where we would live, how we would pay of student loans on a non-doctor salary, would we be able to afford more children, would I have to work full time, the list was endless. We've figured out somethings and are still working on others (boy have I had to learn patience with the Lord's timing). When everything fell apart, the one thing I could hold onto was knowing that Heavenly Father loved me and had a plan for me and my family. I knew that as long as I held onto the covenants I had made to do what God asked me to do, that in the end me and my family would be okay. Suddenly, it didn't matter what color we painted the walls in our home, whether or not I should put Charlotte in swim lessons, or whether Jonas's comforter matched the room's color scheme.
Some days I forget. I get angry that this has happened. On those days I sometimes pull out my broken cistern and think that if I buy some new clothes for the kids, or could just have my own place (We're living with my generous in-laws), or go on a fun vacation I will feel better. These things would help for a few hours or days, but that cistern sure does leak, and I find myself still just as empty or angry as I was before. However, at times like these I try to remember the Samaritan woman at the well. As she came to know the Savior better, she was filled and was able to share that knowledge that Jesus Christ is the Savior with those around her. I know that the only way to truly feel filled in this life is by coming to know Christ and live his teachings.
