As I did my readings this week and worked on my project to fully study one chapter in depth, I chose to read John 4 multiple times to better understand that chapter that helped shape my mission and come to understand better the way the Savior teaches and loves. One verse that really stuck out to me this time was the verse 24, specifically the Joseph Smith Translation of it. To give it context, The Savior uses a perfect visual metaphor of living water at noonday to the woman to peak her interest and see how sincere she was about learning, especially given that He was a Jew. She has true desires so they talk and Jesus with much love explains to her about how we can truly worship the Father and then in verse 24 says, "God is a Spirit." However, that makes no sense and really the translation changes it to "unto such has God promised His Spirit." This makes way more sense, especially looking at how Jesus described the living water as something that would stay inside and burst forth and grow into eternal life. That is the Spirit, with the divine role to be with us always and help bring us back home. That is why Paul later describes it as the "earnest" of the Spirit, since it is a guarantee that Heavenly Father is serious about His promise of a large reward even the infinite gift of eternal life. So that is what Jesus was trying to teach at this time, He was trying to show this wonderful faith-filled woman the ultimate gift of the Holy Ghost and how through sincere worship she can have that and "will never thirst."

I love this promise and sublimely simple yet powerful lesson He chose to teach someone who was living well and had faith. He did not rebuke her, but instead taught her of this incredible gift that He had come to bring and invited her to live in such a way that she could have it. That is what I want, I want to always be worthy of the gift of the Holy Ghost, not just the influence. I don't want to just feel Him there, I want that living water bursting up inside of me, growing and changing me, and leading me to my Heavenly Father again. If we can live with a spirit of worship, that is what the Father has promised us. He gives us that gift as we make covenants and strive to live them with exactness. He loves us and wants each of us to have that living water. I desire that and want to live in a way that will make my Father proud. I love Him.