The One Bible Verse That Changed the Way I See My Identity in Christ
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Have you ever felt like no matter how hard you try…
…it’s never enough?
- You work harder.
- Pray more.
- Read another book.
- Listen to another podcast.
- Try another productivity system.
Yet somehow you still end the day feeling empty.
I know that feeling.
For years, I lived trapped in a cycle of striving, disappointment, and exhaustion.
Then I came across one verse in Jeremiah that completely changed how I understood my relationship with God.
I’ve never read it the same way since.
Broken Cisterns Can’t Hold Water
“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.”
Jeremiah 2:13
I was struck by one of the definitions of the Hebrew word “evil” in this verse. It is “malignant”.
God’s people had committed two evil and malignant sins:
1. They had rejected the source of living water.
This reminded me of the story when Jesus met the woman at the well.
The woman was desperate, and just like me, she was 100% done with feeling like a failure day in and day out.
She wished she could find a way never to have to come to this well again.
Exposed.
Vulnerable.
Judged in the eyes of other women.
But while she was thinking of physical thirst, Jesus was talking about soul-thirst.
He went much deeper — He always does.
Because while she was consumed with her image, He was concerned with her heart.
2. They had made their own wells — wells with holes in them.
Instead of going to God – the source of living water that satisfies eternally, they decided that they knew better.
So, they made their own wells.
They were going to muscle through.
- Hustle.
- Achieve.
- Be Successful.
- Have the perfect body.
- Gain social media approval.
- Be more Productive.
- Get more money.
- Enjoy ministry success.
- Be the perfect wife.
- Be the perfect mom.
- Be the perfect Christian.
And what did it amount to?
A well with holes.
The moment I read this verse, I literally felt a physical shock go through the very core of my being.
This is what I felt like!! A well riddled with holes.
Always trying to get filled up, but never quite getting there because what I’m pouring in leaks out before I ever feel satisfied.
But there’s more to it than just that.
A well is designed to hold water. Its sole purpose is to hold and provide water.
If that well is riddled with holes so it can’t hold water, its purpose is utterly negated.
We all know what that feeling is like. It may be in different areas for each of us, but we all struggle with that feeling.
For all our efforts to build that well…
(and goodness, if you’ve ever tried to make a well, you know there is an enormous amount of energy required)
But for all our efforts, we still didn’t get it right!
We’ve dug down deep, we’ve reached water, and we’ve lined it with stones.
As we built and built, carrying all of those stones from the quarry to build it up and complete our well, it still wouldn’t hold water because it had holes.
All our human efforts to satisfy ourselves are still not enough.
And they never will be.
And yet, it goes deeper.
Not only are our human efforts to satisfy ourselves never enough – they are a sin.
God said they are evil.
Malignant.
Deadly.
God doesn’t want us to be a well. We were never supposed to be a well!
God is the source of living water.
He never created you to become a better well.
He created you to stay connected to the fountain of living water.
Living water that makes having a well irrelevant.
Redundant.
Unnecessary.
We aren’t supposed to hold water; we’re supposed to share water. God wants us to be pipes through which His living waters flow.
And a pipe is only useful if it’s connected to a source.
A well exists to hold water.
A pipe exists to carry water.
God never created you to be a well. He created you to stay connected to the Source.
What if we’ve spent our entire Christian lives trying to become better wells…when God actually created us to be pipes?
That one picture completely changed how I read Jeremiah.
God never intended me to manufacture life.
Only to stay connected to the One who is Life.
Jesus used this exact same imagery.
When Jesus met the woman at the well, she thought He was talking about physical thirst.
Jesus was talking about the thirst inside her soul.
She had spent years trying to satisfy that thirst through relationships, yet she was still empty.
Just like the people in Jeremiah’s day, she had been drawing water from broken wells.
But Jesus offered something entirely different.
Living water.
Water that would satisfy forever.
How Do We Stop Living Like Broken Wells?
1. Know Christ
We will never fully connect to our purpose if we don’t know who the source of our purpose is. And there is only one way to know Christ.
Jesus said, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31-32
His Word has to become the place where we dwell, because He is that Word, and He is the source of all truth….truth that will lead us to freedom!
2. Know Who You Are In Christ
There is tremendous power in discovering our identity.
A lot of people today are lost, trying to discover who they are, and they think the answer lies in DNA testing, researching their ancestry, and reconnecting with their roots.
The problem is, as children of God, that is not who we are.
When we are born again:
We receive a new identity.
A new heritage.
A new citizenship.
And when we discover who we are in Christ, we find our real purpose.
We can walk away from our leaky wells and connect with the source of living water.
When we connect with the source of living water and discover our purpose in being a pipe, not a well, we will realize that we are never empty.
We stop looking to things that were never meant to satisfy us:
- Body image
- Affirmations
- A better standard of living
- A better job
- A new husband
- A new home
- Spa days
- Food
- Wine
- Friends….
We will find we’re always satisfied with the living water of God’s presence and purpose in our lives.
That living water will be endlessly flowing through us — and not just to satisfy us, but to satisfy others as well.
Jesus used the exact same imagery.
When Jesus met the woman at the well, she thought He was talking about physical thirst.
Jesus was talking about the thirst inside her soul.
Jesus is the Living Water who will satisfy the deepest longing in our soul and spirit.
For years, I believed I was responsible for keeping myself full.
- More discipline.
- More effort.
- More striving.
But Jeremiah reminded me that I was never supposed to become the source.
God is.
My responsibility isn’t to manufacture living water.
It’s simply to remain connected to the One who never runs dry.
Maybe that’s exactly what you need to hear today.
You don’t have to keep patching another broken cistern.
Jesus is still inviting thirsty people to come to Him.
And unlike every well we’ve ever tried to build…
His living water never runs out.
Miss Rosilind I can absolutely hear your heart in these most recent posts! Please understand we are all flawed in our physical bodies. We are in a constant state of decay. Did God bless you with a husband who loves you; and children; and parents; and friends? Don’t let rude comments from SM get under your skin! Yesterday, our pastor gave a lovely sermon “I was made for this”. It is a common quip for many people, sports figures, etc. He went on to liken it to the priestly clothes donned by Aaron and his sons when they were given their Levitical duties. They were made for that…the clothes and the men! You were made for God! I was made for God. We should be clothed in such away as to be in service to God, the way the Levites were. What is my purpose? How can I best serve people with my god-given talents? Then I can say “I was made for this!” Your blog, in many ways, has been a balm to my soul. I can’t wait to open and read what you have written. Be encouraged that even your recycled posts were read anew by many of us. Also, some things just bear repeating! Sister, you were made for this!
Be Blessed.
On a side note: for nutrition, all that has helped me was to be sure I was eating enough protein (meat, dairy, some plant) 100-120 grams per day. It’s not always easy, but I feel so much better when I do.