Have you ever dug a hole at the beach and tried to fill it up with water?  Recently at our trip to the beach, my boys were doing just that.  My youngest was disappointed to see the water disappear as the sand “drank” it all up.  So despite my desire to stay sand free on my beach chair, I got down on my hands and knees and taught them about digging water holes in the sand.

I told them that if we dug deep enough we’d hit water.  So we dug, and dug, and dug.  My middle one would have his upper part of his body down in the hole to reach the bottom and dig.  The sand got wetter and wetter, and then it happened… the bottom of the hole started filling up on its own with water.  I love those moments of seeing my boys with a fresh excitement over a new discovery.

Later I started thinking about God’s Word.  Anytime we open it up and read it our soul drinks it up.  And the deeper we dig into the Word, like the sand, the more we will be filled with Living Water and less likely to dry up.  I definitely see that as I’ve been digging deeper into the Bible, especially Philippians.

Here’s the living water that poured into my soul today, “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind… to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.” (3:14-16)

I’ve read Philippians all the way through everyday for 2 weeks now, and today was the first day the phrase “to the degree that we have already attained” stuck out.  It made me think of my morning run today.  I was passed by a much more seasoned in better shape runner.  Then that runner started getting further and further ahead since my speed was no match for his.  I had a moment of frustration and my self talk started going like this: “I’m in such bad shape, I’m a lousy runner, I might as well be walking, I could go faster if I was walking, I”ll never be as good of a runner as that, I might as well give up…”

Then the verse “I press toward the goal for the prize…” (3:14) popped in my head and I pressed on.  Now as I think about the verses following I realize what I also need to remember is “to the degree that we have already attained…”

As we press on, let’s not compare ourselves to others.  There will always be someone in better shape, someone more spiritual, someone who has already beaten whatever we are currently battling, someone who is a better wife, mother, worker, singer, teacher…  That shouldn’t serve to frustrate us and cause us to give up.  God isn’t comparing us to them,  He’s asking us to press on toward the goal for the prize of Christ Jesus to the degree that we have already attained.

If you haven’t yet today, I encourage you to go dig deeper in God’s word and see what living water God has for your soul…