Water: A Sacred Commodity

Life without water, hard to imagine isn’t it? Life on this planet would literally cease to exist. There is water on this planet though; the problem is that it isn’t evenly distributed. The absence or low availability of water in some places is the cause of some really dire living conditions.

Did you know that every 21 seconds, a child dies from diarrhea? Around 1.5 million deaths each year - nearly one in five – are caused by diarrhea. It kills more children than malaria, HIV, AIDS, and measles combined. This amounts to approximately 4,100 deaths a day. This singular killer often employs contaminated water as its mode of operation. One might ask so if the water is bad for consume or come in contact with it? The answer is simple, that is the only water they have and they may not know it’s going to affect them or they don’t have other alternative. Water is considered a sacred commodity in some parts of the world; not even a single drop should go to waste. Water might be everywhere, but one must never take it for granted. On an even more personal note, your body needs water and water plays many pivotal roles in bodily functions.

The entire human body is made up of 70% water. 95% of our brain is water, while the blood has 82%, and the lungs have 90%. Studies have shown that if our water content is to fall by a mere 2%, the body will show signs of dehydration. The body cannot function without water; just as car cannot run without fuel. All the cells and organs in the body depend on water for proper functioning.

In addition to the daily maintenance of our bodies, water also plays a key role in the prevention of diseases. Did you know that drinking six to eight glasses of water daily can decrease the risk of colon cancer by 45%, bladder cancer by 50% and it can potentially even reduce the risk of breast cancer?

Water also acts as a cooling agent. Water's ability to hold large amounts of heat energy helps plants and animals lower their temperature. When an animal sweats, the sweat accumulates on the skin or other porous locations, transferring the heat from the inside of the body to the outside. When water evaporates the heat leaves the body as well, cooling the animal. Plants use a similar tactic called transpiration. During transpiration, water is lost through small openings in the leaves called stomata. When water evaporates this loss creates a pull within the plant, forcing water to enter through the roots and travel upward to the leaves. This movement of water, caused by evaporation, replenishes the plant with cooler water and lowers the plant's temperature.

Water is life. Without water there is not life. Plants are not able to carry out photosynthesis, animals are not able to digest their food properly and regulate their body temperature. Similarly, we are not able to function without Christ in our lives. He is the backbone in our lives. We need him to survive. He is the air we breathe, the light to our paths, and without Him our lives have no meaning. In John 7:38, “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him”. The bible here depicts Christ as a vessel from which “living water” will flow. Jesus Christ has unlimited supply of solutions. He alone can supply all our needs and solve any problem.

Mikki Clarke