Thursday, October 16

The Veiled Lady


Today's devotional is a little out of the ordinary. It is written as a story prompt from the picture. Hope you enjoy it...

An empty water jar balances precariously on her head. Her face is veiled not only to avoid the searing stares of Sychar’s society but also to shield her from the rumors of a ruined reputation.

Too many husbands have drained her nuptial well and now she attempts to fill it with another, an unbetrothed suitor. She must go now to the watering hole, to draw from its depths the water to quench her parched thirst, a thirst that lies deeper than the surface of her tongue.

Slipping through the back streets, she shuffles her way out the city’s gate to fulfill her daily duty. As the sun beats down with its heaving swells of heat, she is forced to come to the well of the ancient fathers at the noon hour. The other women choose to draw water during the cooler hours of the day, coming later to remove their veils, to relax, to laugh, and to gossip, usually about this woman.

The heat of the day diametrically differs from the chill of passion that has penetrated this shunned woman’s being. The empty water jug she now carries on her head parallels the emptiness of her heart.

She hides behind a veil of secrecy, as she tries desperately to become invisible. As she approaches the well, she peers out from behind her veil, and, seeing a man who sits on the well’s edge, their eyes meet. He looks deep into the longing of her soul and sees a parched and depleted well. She sees acceptance beyond anything she has ever experienced.

“Give me a drink,” he asks.

“But you’re a Jew,” she says. “Why do you ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?”

“If you only knew. I would satisfy your hollow yearning from a living well, teeming with waters of life that never run dry.”

“Oh, sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”

“Call your husband to come here also,” he says.

“But, sir,” she says, “I have no husband.”

This stranger, peering into her lifeless eyes hiding within the veil, now seems to know her so well, as he recounts the depth of her past existence.

“Sir, you must be a prophet,” she says. Yet, she discerns him to be more than a prophet, for there is no hint of judgment or condemnation in his voice, only the love of the ages.

Throwing off the veil over her eyes, she sees this man for who he really is and receives the love for which she has so recklessly searched. She drops her water pot by the well and runs back through the city gate to tell the others of the everlasting love she has found in the Messiah.

Have you dropped all to tell others about the everlasting love you have found in Christ?

“Go…and tell…”

~~Blessings, Lynn~~
7 Responses
  1. Gave me shivers, Lynn. For me, that usually means the Holy Spirit's using something to speak to my soul.

    It's also beautifully written. Haunting, then joyful.


  2. lynnmosher Says:

    Oh, wow! Thanks, Steph! What a wonderful comment. Bless you!


  3. Tina Says:

    Lynn, awesome - just beautiful. One can feel her emptiness and shame - and then her hope. Awesome. The photo, too, is so powerful.


  4. Meridith Says:

    Simply beautiful...

    I found your blog through the Joyfully Living blogroll and I am excigted to connect with other Christian women...

    Off to read more of your blog...


  5. lynnmosher Says:

    Hello, Meridith! A very special name. I have a Meredith! Thank you so much for your comment and for taking time to read my blog. I deeply appreciate it. Be blessed...


  6. Tanya Says:

    Beautiful writing!

    Not to take away from your story, but ... This picture reminds me of a book by Ginger Garrett: "Chosen". It's no longer in print, but is a fantastic read! It's a novel of the biblical Esther. I highly recommend it.


  7. lynnmosher Says:

    Thank you so much, Tanya. I remember hearing of that book. Didn't get to read it. But you're right. The picture would make one think of Esther. Cool! Blessings...