I turn on the tap, and water flows freely. Cool, refreshing and clean. And I don’t even stop to be thankful for it. That’s normal, you say. Here in America we’re blessed. Many of us have no idea what it’s like to live without access to clean water…or any water.
But I do.
I know what it’s like to live in a dry land, to turn the tap and have nothing happen, to see water being hauled in yellow cans and kids carrying buckets on their heads, to close my eyes quickly when I realize a man is bathing in the median of the highway outside my window because it finally rained. I’ve washed my hair with bottled water that I stored up each time the tanks would fill. I’ve lugged laundry to guest houses and friends’ homes because there was no way to wash it. No, I never lacked for drinking water because I could go and buy it, but others could not. Many spent the little money they had to buy water that was not clean, water that carried illness in every drop…and they drank it.
And yet I forget. I forget that every drop is precious. Maybe you do, too. So, today I offer this reminder:
It’s World Water Day, and to be honest, I had no idea there was one. But there is, and maybe today you and I can stop and be grateful for the water we have and seek ways to make it more accessible to others. Here are a few ways you might consider:
- Turn on the Tap with Samaritan’s Purse
- Provide Clean Water for Children in Tanzania with Compassion International
- 40 Days of Water…check it out!