Are You Hydrated?
Do you like big numbers?
I have one for you. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, there are over 332,519,000 cubic miles of water on the planet. A cubic mile is the volume of a cube measuring one mile on each side. It’s too big isn’t it? Not that the number is not correct. The number is incomprehensible.
The next numbers we can fathom. 98%of the earth’s water is found in the oceans. The salt content makes this water unusable for humans. Of the remaining 2%, 1.6% is locked up by the polar ice caps and glaciers. Less than .5% of earth’s water is useable for living things to drink and sustain life.
Do you agree?
We cannot live without water? No contest there. The Mayo Clinic recommends we drink 8-8-ounce glasses of water daily. That amounts to 64 ounces. Need another way to view this amount? It’s ½ gallon. By my faulty memory count, I have 4 more glasses to go.
Ever thought about why we need so much water?
The Dr. calls it hydration. The average adult body is composed of somewhere between 57-60%...water. Break it down and we find the lungs with the greatest water content at about 83%. Our brains come next around 73%. Our skin is 64% water, even our bones, hard as they are, are composed of 31% water. We lose 3 cups of water daily just breathing and perspiring.
Why pay attention to hydration?
The body requires water for numerous reasons. The United States Geological Survey also has a web page about water and humans. I like the list of water benefits included:
· A vital nutrient to the life of every cell, acts first as a building material.
· It regulates our internal body temperature by sweating and respiration.
· The carbohydrates and proteins that our bodies use as food are metabolized and transported by water in the bloodstream.
· Water assists in flushing waste mainly through urination.
· Water acts as a shock absorb-er for brain, spinal cord, and (unborn infants).
· Water forms saliva.
· Water lubricates joints.
Dehydration occurs when the necessary water amount is not regularly consumed. Headaches, muscle aches and dry skin are first level concerns when we are dehydrated. Neither of us will argue. We need fresh clean water. The significance of water on our physical health is greater than we understand.
Now, think about this.
Our conversation to this point is about something temporary. There is an end to our need for physical water. The average life span for a human today is between 78 and 80 years old. That’s how long you and I need water. Water…no need for it forever, just during life on earth.
There is a second kind of water.
This water is not temporary. This water is forever water…it’s for eternity. Just as every human needs to be hydrated for physical life on earth. Every human needs this second kind of water. It’s called “living water.” Not my term, this is the term the Creator of the universe gives it. At a well in Samaria, Jesus explained this to a woman who asked Him for a drink. He said to her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
What is “living water?” The same God who made physical water is the source of “living water.” As we require water to be hydrated, “living water” hydrates our soul. It could be explained this way. The sin every human has dehydrates our soul.
There is a substantial difference between water and living water. Earth water only hydrates on earth. Living water hydrates forever, it’s for life eternal. Just a few verses later, Jesus explained to the woman, “but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14) At first, she wanted the water in order to be free of frequent, daily trips to the well for water. Later when she realized her sin…living water became her first priority.
While we live, we certainly need water. Yet our lives are short in comparison with eternity. The importance of “living water” becomes more than significant if there is more than only life on earth for 78 to 80 years.