Thirsty Thursday

That’s what they call Thursday at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor - for obvious reasons.  It’s the official beginning of party time on the weekends.  The local establishments advertise, and the students “unwind” from the rigorous studies.  Well, some students do.

That got me thinking about thirst in general.  It’s a desire to quench the dryness.  There are only certain liquids that really quench thirst.  Years ago, there Lipton Tea advertised as a thirst quencher.  Now we know that caffeine doesn’t replenish lost fluid, which is probably why true iced tea fans drink several glasses a day. 

We can thirst in other ways - deep longings for connection, lust for riches or things, desires for fulfillment or recognition.

Jesus talked about thirst several times in his ministry, often pointing out that most people who had a “soul” thirst were trying to satisfy it with iced tea.  Okay, he probably didn’t know about Lipton’s back then, but you know what I mean. 

Remember the good old country song - “lookin for love in all the wrong places”?  Or how about the adage “all that glitters isn’t gold”?  Those are examples of society’s acknowledgement that weoften try to find our satisfaction in non-thirst quenching manners.  Somehow we know it won’t provide a deep quenching, but we try.  And we keep trying.