“So they quarreled with Moses and said, ‘Give us water to drink.” Exodus 17:2, NIV
I was washing dishes one evening when I noticed Bryan acting strangely. He crouched low, his eyes wide, his tail tucked all the way under. Before I could ask what was wrong, he scrambled up into his chair as if seeking refuge. I brushed it off—dogs have their moments—until the next morning.
Bryan stayed in the backyard far longer than usual. When I stepped out to check on him, I found him eagerly lapping up… something. My heart jumped. Had something died back there? Had someone tossed something over the fence? But when I got closer, I realized he had dug a shallow hole and made himself a puddle of muddy water. And he was drinking it.
I guided him inside and over to the new water dispenser I’d bought over the weekend. The water inside was cool and fresh. I dipped my fingers in and held them to his mouth. He licked them, hesitant. It took coaxing—gentle words, calm hands—before he finally leaned forward to try it.
Then it happened.
BA-LOOP
BA-LOOP
The bubbles rose, and Bryan shot across the kitchen like his paws were on wheels. That eighty‑pound dog wanted nothing to do with a water bowl that burped.
Later, watching him stare suspiciously at the dispenser from across the room, I realized how often I do the same thing. When something unfamiliar rises up—something that might actually refresh me—I back away. I stick to the “muddy water” of old habits because it feels safer than change, even when I know better. Bryan wasn’t choosing bad water; he was choosing familiar water. I’ve done that more times than I can count.
I’m learning, slowly, to step toward the new thing God sets in front of me, even when it bubbles.
Typist for Jesus
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Mustard Seeds, Modern Parables 