The image above is a syphon we use to get water from our little pond to some fruit trees we have planted down the hill. The idea is to fill up the pictured PVC pipe with water, then open a valve downhill, and have the water continually come out of the pond due to some force that apparently escapes me. I thought it was gravity and air pressure, but as the siphon stops working after running for about an hour, I’ve obviously missed something in what should be a simple setup. I do have an idea to try out, so we’ll see what happens.
Another water related issue we’ve had lately is getting water from our downhill storage tank into the tank next to the house. Ideally we wouldn’t need to pump water uphill, but we didn’t have the space to build another rainwater collection tank closer to the house. The problem was the pump just wasn’t pushing the water uphill, even though the installation looked fine to me.
After two or three days of head scratching and feeling like I was at my wit’s end, I realized that air was getting into the pump where the hose was attached to it. Once I addressed this, everything worked as expected. We rely 100% on rainwater, so having full tanks and working pumps means we can take showers, wash clothing and dishes, etc. before the rainy season begins in 2-3 months.
This all got me thinking about Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman by a well in John chapter 4. He tells her that everyone who drinks water from the well will eventually be thirsty again, but that He provides living water, which becomes a spring which wells up to eternal life. (John 4:10-14)
I am so grateful that whether our collection tanks have water or not, whether we can water our fruit trees or not, even whether we can shower or not, we have eternal life in Christ.
I wish you a constant supply of drinking water. But even more than that, I hope you encounter the living water which never runs out, accessible through a relationship with Jesus.
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