Mary sat alone at a table in her favorite coffee shop. She was scrolling through social media, sipping her latte when she saw a notification from her church group. They were planning a women’s retreat and were looking for volunteers to help out. Mary hesitated. She had always avoided church events, feeling like she didn’t belong. But this time, something in her stirred, and she knew she had to go. She signed up and waited for the day of the retreat.
As she arrived at the retreat, Mary felt anxious. She didn’t know anyone and was worried that she wouldn’t fit in. But as she sat through the first session, she heard something that caught her attention. The speaker was talking about a woman in the Bible who met Jesus at a well. She was thirsty for water, but Jesus offered her something much more refreshing.
Mary was intrigued. She had never heard this story before. She opened her Bible to John 4 and read about the woman at the well. She was amazed at how similar their stories were. Like the woman at the well, Mary had been searching for something to quench her thirst. She had tried everything from relationships to material possessions, but nothing seemed to satisfy her.
As the retreat went on, Mary found herself drawn to the other women. They welcomed her with open arms, and she felt like she belonged. She began to share her struggles with them and found comfort in their support. She prayed and felt a sense of peace that she had never felt before.
In John 4:13-14, Jesus said, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 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." Mary realized that Jesus was the only one who could truly satisfy her thirst. She had been searching for more, but she had been looking in all the wrong places. Now, she had found the refreshing water that she had been longing for, and she knew that she would never be thirsty again.