Living Water by Jacob Gaura

A few years ago I was at a CS campout in North Florida, the surf was super fun and the water was cold. The spot in the park we were camping at is one of the most consistent breaks in the area so when it turns on, the crowd fills in. The day we were packing up to leave one of the guys offered to get us on the Navy base to surf an uncrossed peak. The downside is we only had one military ID so we had to shuttle people one car load at a time. We were using my car and my friend offered to do the last run so I could get in the water. As we were coming in he started telling me that my car was out of gas. As you can imagine I was not stoked. I walked up from the beach and my car was parked in the middle of a concrete slab that may or may not have been a parking lot. I had good intentions volunteering my car but in the end wore one on the head and had to hitch a ride to the gas station to fill up a gas can. 

This story always reminds me that no matter how much of a good thing you are doing, at some point you need to remember to fill up the tank or you end up in the middle of a navy base parked somewhere you shouldn’t be. Summer is the busiest time of the CS calendar in my part of the country. The water is warm, school is out and there’s endless opportunities to spend time with people and get in the water. With so many epic things happening in our chapters it’s easy to forget to fill up the tank. 

To me that looks like taking a weekend off where I don’t do anything except relax on my time. More than that it’s remembering to take time to rest in the Lord. Taking time to read my Bible and pray over what is happening in my life and my community. Forgetting to fill the spiritual tank can be a lot more harmful than remembering to put gas in the car, be proactive about keeping your tank full because that is the place you will pour out from. If your tank is empty you won’t be able to take care of yourself let alone be able to help others, but with a full tank you are ready to go and put in the miles with people. 

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” - Romans 15:13

Photo by Maddie Malmsten,