Her Side of the Story, Pt 2

John 4:1-42

Get married they said. Marriage will solve all your issues they said. Well, here I am- been married, not once, not twice, not thrice, but 5xs.

Can you imagine what 5 failed marriages does to your self-esteem? To your heart? Your ability to trust yourself? Your ability to give yourself into the hands of others?  Your hopes?  Your dreams? I can. I can tell you about that hurt. The grief of a life that I thought I would have, the talk from the men in the village, the gossiping from the women, I can even tell you about having 5 husbands and yet no children.

So yeah, I settled. No more marriages. No more someone else taking care of me. Just a live in situationship.

Now here’s this Jewish man talking to me about gifts and living water in all this heat, in the middle of the day.

 This water he talks of, could cure my thirst for loneliness, of rejection, the need for acceptance, and even maybe bareness; but most of all- my thirst for worship of the Messiah. Does he even realize who I am? Or what I am? Maybe this will be a quick conversation once he sees no husband coming to give him permission to speak to me.

I must tell him truth. I have to. Been married 5xs- I can’t hide that. But I also can’t hide the one I’m with now. As I attempt to hide my live in situation, one directive from him, “Go get your husband” revealed he knew.  He knew everything. He already knew. And he didn’t walk away. He stayed and kept talking to me. Me the woman. Me the single woman. Me the 5xs divorced woman. He told me everything about me. Nothing was left out- all cards on the table, and still yet he talks about this water. Living water. How can water be alive? I must admit, I am intrigued. I am now thirsty. For this water.

It quenches the thirst of my soul.

I have to go tell the others. They should get to know this man. The Messiah.

So much has happened since I met the Messiah by the well, take this with you,

1.     To others, I was what some would call a double negative- a Samaritan woman- a woman from an unclean place; but when the Messiah showed up, I became “dear woman”- I became a friend, or one who is looked upon favorably. It does not matter what others call you, only what he speaks.

2.     Even when you know just a little, he fills in the gaps. Your circumstances do not prohibit him from revealing himself to you. He doesn’t want you to know of him, but to worship in spirit and in truth.

3.     It was no mistake that I was married 5xs. 5 is the number of grace.

o   Grace met me at the well

o   Grace spoke to me at the well

o   Grace delivered me at the well

o   Grace healed me at the well

o   Grace filled me at the well

o   Grace gave me a new position at the well

o   Grace caused me to extend grace to the ones I avoided at the well

o   Grace revealed himself to me at the well

And this is my side of the story. Signed, the “Samaritan Woman”