Wayne Weekly “The Water of Life…in a Green Bottle”

Just this morning I had to do a quick run into Wegman’s to pick a few things up before heading out for work. I told my daughter I would pick her up some bottled water, and my wife needed a few grocery items for the day.

I raced down the aisles with one of those “snub nosed” carts like I had won a five minute shopping spree. The last stop was the water section. Loading the goods into my cart and about to turn down the adjacent aisle I spotted an elfin like elderly lady looking perplexed. Our eyes met and she pointed to a bottle of mineral water on a higher shelf . I’m not a tall guy, but certainly had some height on this woman.

As I approached her she explained in broken English with a German accent the obvious…she could not reach the bottle of mineral water she hoped to buy. Feeling very tall, I grabbed the bottle and handed it to her. “Thank you, thank you”, she said smiling. My new friend then tried to explain how important it was for her to have this specific kind of water that she grew up drinking in Germany.

After her explanation, I said to her, “Now are you a Christian?” She paused a moment and said, “Well I am, of course I am.”  “Wonderful! And what church do you go to?” I replied. Now her voice was a bit weak and her German accent strong, but I believe she said when she was a child she was Lutheran, but now she goes to another assembly. “So you have truly asked Jesus Christ to be your Savior?” “Oh, yes, of course I have”, she convincingly said. “So you know God loves you and sent His Son to pay for your sins on the cross?” “Oh yes, yes”, said the quiet little German woman now smiling loudly. “Well, that is something you need to be sure of.” “I am, yes I am.” “Good, I’m glad.” I gently said, and made movement to move on.

What more do you say, in the middle of the drinking water aisle  to a personable old German lady who smiles about Jesus? I could have quizzed her on the four spiritual laws. I could have produced some kind of decision card she could sign or discussed some Theology. I mean sometimes you really don’t know, and you just sense the conversation is over. Her spirit seemed to bear witness with mine that she was a child of God.

We said goodbye to one another. The little elfin German woman looked as joyful as I would imagine a true Christian could be to speak about the Lord with a stranger who helped grab a bottle of mineral water off a high shelf in Wegman’s.

Who would know that an out of reach glass bottle would somehow pour forth some living water…the water of life…in a green bottle?