A Birthday Spring

Thursday, March 13, 2014 Posted by Anonymous

“Gather the People together and I will give them water."

“Spring up O well, within my soul. Spring up O well, and make me whole.” This much beloved song was inspired by the verse found in Numbers 21:16. God sprung up fresh, living water for His people as they journeyed throughout the wilderness.

Everyone has a season of wandering. We often feel lost, or like we keep going in circles, wondering when we’ll make it to the finish line. Weariness depletes the adventurous hope that used to spring us into action.

It’d been a downward decline after my mom had her first and only major surgery since giving birth to eight children over 50 years ago. She always loved getting out. But by the time she turned 80, she didn’t spring back so easily after being in the hospital for over a week. She eventually stopped attending family dinners; wasn’t interested in being out in public.

So when I asked if she wanted me to bring her something special for her 85^th birthday, her response surprised me. “No, I want to go out to eat.”

“You do?” I asked wanting to make sure I’d heard her correctly. “Have they fitted your dentures yet?”

“No, but I’ve learned how to eat without teeth.”

“Okay. Where do you want to go?”

“The place on the river.”

Okay then, I thought. We’re going early enough. Not too many people out for dinner at a fancy restaurant at five in the afternoon. “Lord, let our time be memorable,” I prayed as the day approached.

Not only did it not rain as originally forecasted, the wind settled down, the temperate rose to a pleasant 75, and we chatted as mother-and-daughter like we used to do in days past. My 85-year-old mother sprung into the carefree, life-loving person she’s been known to be. Her eyes sparkled as a son, then a granddaughter, and finally a grandson called to wish her a happy birthday while she sat on the deck of a fine-dining place overlooking the famous California Sacramento River.

If only for the evening, the Lord put the “spring” of the joy of living waters back into the drying bones of one of His faithful saints. I can’t wait to see where we spend her next birthday!