What’s in Your Well?

What comes up in the bucket is usually what’s down in the well.
– Source Obscure

My Sunday School teacher recently posed the above question and quoted this old adage. It got me to thinking about wells and reservoirs – those life-sustaining reserves that we call on and count on – especially in times of need.

Don’t ask me why, but the person who came to my mind was Paul. You know, the guy in the New Testament who could have been the star of his own reality television series – he was run out of several towns, beaten, stoned, ship-wrecked, bitten by a venomous snake. And, oh yes, put in prison or under house arrest. More than once.

It would be understandable, no, make that expected, that when Paul lowered a bucket into his well, it clunked on bone-dry ground rather than splashing into a deep pool. But here is what Paul said:

The important thing is that . . . Christ is preached. And because of this
I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice.
– Philippians 1:18 (NIV)

In his letter to the church at Philippi, Paul used the words rejoice and joy sixteen times. What filled Paul’s well was not based on what had happened or was happening to him, but instead on a relationship: Paul’s relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Not too long after this Sunday School lesson, my wife and I were exiting a restaurant after eating lunch. Just behind us, an elderly man who was using a cane to help him walk was just finishing paying his bill. The cashier said to this man, “Have a great day.” The gentleman smiled and replied, “Every day I’m alive is a great day.” I’m not sure what that man’s name was. But I would not be surprised if it was Paul.