Are You Thirsty, Bud?

My youngest son is 11 now but when he was 6 we had to have a heart to heart talk about Bud Light.  It might seem a little extreme to have a beer chat with a kid that barely started elementary school but like so much with parenting you sometimes need to react instead of being proactive.

Now I’m pretty sure I never cracked open a cold Bud Light so I can’t list off some adjectives on how it tastes or how it makes me feel.   And given the cultural war that is ongoing with the brand and marketing I’m going to steer clear of that too!  But beer just doesn’t wet my whistle or trip my trigger!  But many people do love their beer have discerning tastes and get into the different types, brands, and brews.   We just don’t happen to have beer in the fridge at our house and so beer is a bit of a foreign substance to our boys.  They didn’t know what they didn’t know when they were smaller.

One hot July we were invited to our neighbors for a picnic and to enjoy their pool.  It was a no brainer with two young boys, a pool, and scorching heat.  We arrived early and were ready to be refreshed by the pool, get to know our neighbors, and hang out.

We were about an hour into the festivities when Sam, our youngest son, came strolling over and asked if he could get a drink.  I saw plenty of bottled water and Gatorades sitting around so I pointed him in the direction of two coolers sitting on the other side of the pool.  Off he went and I went back to chatting with our neighbors.

A few minutes later he returned, empty-handed and with a questioning look.  He got all sheepish and leaned in close to me and went “Daddy, do you think I could have a Bud Light?”.

I laughed at first but he leaned in again to make his case. “It says it’s crisp and refreshing.  I thought that sounded good because it’s so hot.”

He was serious!  And Bud Light was serious too because they made a sales pitch on every can that declared their tasty beverage would be crisp and refreshing.  It didn’t matter if you were a 72-year old grandpa or a 6-year old, a cold can of Bud Light would sound good on a hot day!  And that’s how they rope you, or anyone, to buy more, and more, and more!   The promise is that you will experience something crisp and refreshing, and who doesn’t want that?!

So I told Sam that maybe Bud Light wasn’t a great idea.  Not for a 6-year old who was seeking true refreshment on a hot day.  I got up and the two of us found some age-appropriate and kid-friendly liquid hydration.

Sam was indeed thirsty and sought after a beverage, but his thirst of a relationship with his Dad was greater.  That’s why he asked me for a drink in the first place and when he had more questions about a so-called “crisp and refreshing” beverage he came back and asked again!  Even at 6 years old he had the discernment and discretion to ask for help in selecting something that could help or possibly harm him.

We live in a world of endless opportunities, situations, and outcomes.  Some are good for us, some are not, and some are debatable!  But I admire Sam for not focusing solely on the opportunity of a crisp and refreshing beer or letting his physical thirst persuade him to just try a “cold one”.  Nope.  His thirst to know what to do from his Dad was the biggest thing on his mind!   The thirst of a relationship was bigger than the thirst in his mouth.  That’s why he asked, asked again, and ultimately was shown a different way to go by me!

The thirst of a healthy relationship from a father.  Its life changing when we ask God questions.  When we ask Him to steer us and guide us.  When we ask to be refreshed and renewed.  When we seek Him in the little things and the big things.  Are you thirsty like that?

Maybe you aren’t.  Maybe you have been so thirsty for things that haven’t worked out, haven’t been good, or just made you feel terrible.  Maybe you think you’re worse than others or there’s no way out of the stinky stuff that’s happened.  The things that sound good at first but lead to despair and destruction.  Call it “a crisp and refreshing hangover”!

The good news is that if you do develop that thirst to be with God and seek His will he can use you…and everything else that goes with you!  You see, He uses people, places, things, and emotions to draw us to Him.   There’s no one, nothing, no place, and no feeling that can’t be used for good and for a gift of grace by Him.  Have you made some decision based on it being “crisp and refreshing” only to be left down and out?  Have you gone with a party crowd that was anything other than “good neighbors”?  Have you developed a dependency on things that have more control over you than you’d like?  None of us are perfect and can relate to putting our thirst on things that make sense to us but are not in line with Him.

Stay thirsty my friends.  Not for the things of the world, the promises of others, or the momentary happiness of a fleeting feeling.  Stay thirsty for a relationship with your Heavenly Father.  He is the Living Water that is most certainly crisp and refreshing, both now and for eternity!