Thirst no more with the water of life

A reply that I used frequently nowadays in response to whether I’m happy or not, is the statement that “I’ll live”. It isn’t a mere statement of resignation, a defeatist throwing-up of arms in a “I give up” manner. Despite the common advice of my fellow believers who are seniors, to “count my blessings”, I’ve discovered that this method doesn’t work well for me due to my “operating system”.  This stems from the indeed, I may have 30% of my cup filled whilst others may have a pittance of 10%, but it is also fairly easy for me to find another person I know who has been blessed with maybe a 80% full cup. So I’ve discarded the “measurement and counting” altogether, and decided to rejoice that there is water in the cup in the first place. And the word I’ll examine today is “live”, looking at its Biblical roots in its Chinese pictograph characters.

Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

John 4:13-14 (NIV)

This verse, coming out from Jesus’ very own mouth, draws the association of life with water and thirst. The Chinese character for “live” or “life” is “活”. This pictograph consists of two parts. The left which consists of three vertically stacked strokes which look like water droplets, is an abbreviation of the word “水”, which is water. Meanwhile, right portion “舌” in isolation, means tongue. Taken in this context, looks like the Chinese may have been having that verse in mind, when they were coming up with designing the pictograph to symbolise life, as when one drinks from the holy water of the Trinity, one thirsts no more and gets eternal life.

Another question one may pose, why three droplets of water, not one or two, or more? Apart from the historical roots of pictograph abbreviation of the Chinese language (the character of the word water “水” consist of three portions, thus when the Chinese were designing its abbreviation, it was natural to have used three droplets), please allow me to induce a Biblical context into it.

The Christian concept of God, is a tripartite one, commonly known as the holy Trinity. They consist of God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It may be a sheer coincidence, but it is wonderful that the abbreviation of the word 水‘s three droplets is able to make provision for each member of the Holy Trinity. Indeed with all three members of the Holy Trinity, believers need not thirst anymore. Rejoice that there is water, amen!