Have you ever “had to” do something? I have…every day. Every day I have to get out of bed, walk my dog Greta, feed Greta, make coffee, get ready for work, drive to work, etc. The things we have to do are necessary for daily living. We have to feed ourselves, feed others, go to school and work, we have to bathe and get dressed. We have to pay the bills, put gasoline in the car, pick up the kids from school, and mow the lawn. Essentially, the “have to” items on our lists are the chores that make us responsible each day. Recently, with a small group of people, my attention was brought to a story in the Bible when Jesus “had to” do something. John 4 gives us the story of the Samaritan woman, “he left Judea and started back to Galilee. But he “had to” go through Samaria.” Normally, Jews skirted around Samaria since Jews and Samaritans didn’t really get along well, yet here John makes the point that Jesus “had to go through Samaria.” If we look at this story as one of Jesus’ responsibility, instead of simply a happenstance circumstance, I think we will all find something much more beautiful and appealing about our everyday “have to” lives. Jesus, our Good Shepherd, throws caution to the wind, and because he is responsible for all the sheep, he travels through Samaria because he “had to” talk to the Samaritan woman. I believe he is purposefully looking for this particular lost sheep because he knows her heart and mind are open. Jesus knows she will be ready to listen with ears to hear the truth. He also knows she is a truth teller, and I imagine her reputation of being a truth teller is well known, because as soon as she tells everyone in Sychar, they believe her. Then, they invite Jesus, a Jew, to stay with them for a few days, and by the end of his visit, everyone believes he is the Messiah. May your “have to” and “had to” responsibilities become gifts of living water. By the way, I “had to” write this blog.