A Cup of Water

Some months ago, a mom got really upset with me. Anyone in ministry, teaching, or any other form of service knows that this happens from time to time.  The situation was a mix of a misunderstanding, language barriers, and cultural differences.  There was a really tense hour in the hallway of the church building with this mom conveying her angst with me. Honestly, I was pretty stressed.

Another lady in the church who had witnessed the event, one who is from an entirely different country than that mom or me, did something really kind. I don't remember anyone doing this for me before. With the mom still yelling at me, the other lady reached out and calmy handed me a glass of cold water. Suddenly, the wagging arms slowed and the sounds of anger faded. Time stood still as I reached out and accepted that glass of water from her.

"For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward." Mark 9:41

What an act of love that was! This verse in Mark immediately sprang to my mind as I drank that water. Though I was feeling hated in the moment, I had a sister in Christ who loved me. We couldn't communicate in the same language, but she was able to communicate the love of Jesus to me.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago. The kind lady who had given me a drink of water, went into labor with her first child. She and her husband allowed me to be in the hospital with them through her labor and delivery. When her labor started to intensify, she asked for a cup of cold water. Her husband and I both jumped up to get it for her. A little selfishly, all I could think was, "Me! Me! Let ME get her a cup of cold water!" I wanted to be able to repay her kindness to me in her time of distress.  It was such an honor to give her a cup of cold water. Every time she took a sip of that water, I prayed for her. Her one act of kindness to me that day at church was rewarded multiple times that night as she worked so hard to deliver their baby.

Fast forward again to the other day. My husband and I had ordered something for the house this summer. The store had repeatedly gotten the order wrong.  Finally, after months of waiting, I received a text from the store that it had arrived. I excitedly drove to the store to get it. One employee went to retrieve it, but came back to tell me that it was lost. I said with a smile, "I'll wait while you find it." I sat down to wait on the bench next to the coffee machine and water cooler.

The young man running the front of the store was working hard. In the hour that I waited for the folks in the back to find my order, the line out front grew to about twenty-five people. The poor employee started getting really stressed out. He was running, really running to fill orders. He was also answering the phone and dodging questions from people who were growing impatient with the line. Oh, and he had grumpy staff in the back yelling at him. Finally, with beads of sweat on his forhead and a wary look in his eye, he came over to me and quietly said, "I am really sorry, but your item is gone. Vanished. Lost. We have looked everywhere." Instead of answering him, I turned, took a step away, and filled a plastic cup with water from the cooler. When I handed it to him, he looked at it for a second before gulping it down. Then he quietly just said, "Thanks."

A cup of cold water. In these instances it was a literal cup of cold water. It is such a simple yet kind act. Jesus is so smart. Of course, other things can be applied with the same principle: when someone is having a hard time, do something nice for them. At the same time, though, there was something really powerful and calming about this one simple act. This lady's one kind act of doing what Jesus said, because He said to do it, meant the world to me that day.

I am challenged now to look for opportunities to continue this same kindness.

Patrick and Vicki Weimer in Iceland since 1999