Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.”(John 4:39)
JACOB’S WELL was a natural choice for respite in a dusty, dry land with few places for soothing refreshment or shady rest. There, the Samaritan woman encountered a weary traveler who offered her the chance to face herself.
Questions must have assaulted her. Should she flee and deny His accusations to save face? Or should she accept His offer and send her pride as low as the bucket she had just sent into the depths of the well? Should she have held on to the pail, refused to humbly serve the foreign stranger or consent to His inquiries? Would she ever again be given the opportunity to receive endless refreshment? What about when she returned to the town—should she have gone straight home, locked the door, and fastened the shutters? Should she have pretended the incident never happened and not admitted to others the story of her painful past? Wouldn’t it have been better to guard her privacy and go forward with her new life?
Faced with those options, the Samaritan woman graciously opened the door to her heart and allowed the Savior to walk in. Her humility and openness brought the good news straight to the center of her town.Her transparency paved the way for others to meet the Savior. As a result, many lives were changed.
Stuck in an embarrassing moment? Choose humility.
Karon L. Storment lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, with her husband, Jim. Together they direct Bethany House Ministries.
