The universe is not outside of you. Look inside yourself; everything that you want, you already are.
Rumi
A ship sailing down the coast of South America had run out of fresh water. The desperate crew was dying of thirst. Their spirits lifted when at last they saw another ship coming toward them. When it reached hailing distance, the crew called out, “Help! We are dying of thirst. Have you any fresh water to spare?” To their surprise, the sailors on the approaching ship shouted back, “Let down your bucket into the water!” Dismayed that they were being so cruelly mocked, the crew members fell into despair. One determined crewman however was willing to take a risk. He let a bucket down over the side. Drawing it up full of what he thought was salt water, he found to his astonishment that the water was fresh. They were saved. Unknown to the crew, the ship had been sailing in the zone where the mighty Amazon River floods abundant fresh water out into the Atlantic. There was no lack of what they needed to nourish their lives.
We live, move, and have our being in the living water of Spirit. Not realizing that, we keep our bucket stored away and we suffer. We have all we need right inside of us. We don’t have to go to faraway places or engage in complicated practices. We need only take the time to become still, to let our thoughts gently move to the edges of our minds. Then we notice that alive in us is a space of quiet, of fullness. In this space we know that we are not alone. We know that we are one with the living water. Hear the Christ in you whisper, “Dear friend, let down your bucket.”
In the Love and Light of the Christ,
Rev. Anna
