I was in High School. Our marching band had been honored with doing the post game show. It was for the American Bowl. What an honor. We were in a huge stadium. It was really, really hot. We came early and since it was the post game show, we stayed at the stadium for a long time. I was so thirsty that I kept buying soft drinks but I just couldn't quench my thirst. It wasn't until many years later that I learned that many soft drinks with caffeine are actually diuretics. According to Webmd online "A diuretic is a substance that removes water from the body." So I was actually taking water out of my body.

Isn't that the way it is in life sometimes? We hunger and thirst for things that will make us happy and fulfill us and we just end up worse off than when we started. Jesus said, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst." (John 6:35) It has been said that we have a God shaped void in our lives, that can only be filled by Him. I believe that is true, not only for salvation, but what we do in our lives too. True joy and fulfillment in life will only be found in a personal relationship with Jesus. The abundant life that Jesus talks about (John 10:10) will only be experienced by living for Jesus and seeking first His Kingdom. (Matthew 6:33)

Fame and fortune won't fulfill us. Pleasing the flesh won't fulfill us. Trying to find peace in substance abuse will only cause us more problems and not deliver true peace. Looking for love in all the wrong places will only cause tragedy in our lives and tragedy for those around us. Seeking thrills and excitement will provide a temporary rush, at best.

The next time you are thirsty in life, be sure you drink something that will genuinely quench that thirst. Jesus sums this up really well as he speaks to the woman at the well:

Drink something that will quench your thirst.
"Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."
The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw." (John 4:13-15)

So the next time you are thirsty for fulfillment in life, find "The Real Thing," Jesus and His Kingdom.