If plants thrive this well in water, surely we can, too?  I’m writing about water and its wholly and holy attributes.  Why?  When last I got a haircut, I complained to the hairdresser that I have less and less energy.  She immediately said I should drink more water–that it helps her feel energized within minutes.

It is true that I’ve shared with family and friends what a forgetful, elderly friend did years ago, upon the advice of her doctor.  She had landed in the hospital, dehydrated, and he told her to set out 8 glasses of water each morning and make sure the contents were in her body by bedtime.   Yes, I’ve repeated that advice to others but didn’t follow it…until now.

But first, I researched and discovered the wondrous ways water is wholly beneficial and a holy, necessary element created for us by God…in the beginning when earth was created and the Spirit moved over the waters.  Then, I poured water in 8 glasses, set them out on the counter, drank the whole of the holy liquid by nightfall, and have done so daily, since.

I make this drink-fest intriguing with a variety of glassware, but the truth of water as gift resides in 10 reasons to drink 64 ounces or more water each day.  (I aim for 84, being a pained, shriveled, old hermit.)

• Water helps skin be gorgeous, elastic and supply smooth; it is the most important element for our body’s cells.  Our hair and eyes benefit, too.

• It flushes nasty toxins from our system (critical for those with pain as toxins collect at sore points), clears the digestive tract, and improves kidney function.

• Water can reduce risk of heart attack partly due to improving heart tissue and blood.

• Water cushions and lubricates joints as well as increases performance in any exercise.

• It reduces risk of disease and infection by keeping cells hydrated.  If cells lack water, they take what they need from the bloodstream which makes the heart work harder, the blood thickens, the body is strained, and the immune system suffers.

• Water regulates body temperature, and this means drinking plain water.  Get this: By drinking a 12-oz. glass of plain water, your body absorbs 8 oz. in 15 minutes compared to only 1 oz.  from a 12-oz. glass of water with 10% sugar content in the same time.

• Drinking water helps burn fat and build muscle.  Lack of water keeps the body from using protein, and that turns more calories into fat.  Also, water keeps the body from wrongly thinking it is hungry when actually it is thirsty.

• Water is critical for eliminating waste from our bodies.  It lubricates the digestive tract and ensures proper absorption and metabolism of nutrients; it also helps toxin elimination by evaporation via our skin.

• And, what I am thrilled to experience: Water energizes the body and makes the mind more alert.  Lack of water causes daytime fatigue; even a 2% drop in water causes short term memory loss, trouble focusing to read and do math.  This is due to the fact that our bodies lose 10 cups of fluid daily, so when the body has plenty of water there is more oxygen to burn, for more energy.  Also, the brain is 85% water, so to keep it hydrated helps mental acuity and function.

We are to drink more water in hot weather, high altitudes, or in low humidity, when engaged in physical and mental activities, when on a high-fiber diet or are ill.  To make water more palatable (although what can be better than the simple wonder of water, now knowing how it helps us so?), add a slice of lemon or lime, a berry, drink with a splash of natural juice, fresh ginger or a sprig of mint.  Drink it at intervals; a body absorbs but 4 oz. in 10 minutes.

While this kind of water is not that living water Jesus spoke of to the woman at the well, the life-sustaining fresh water given us to drink tangibly on this earth is a holy gift.  Consider always the luxury most of us have: to drink fresh water any time we want (but tend to consider this a task).  There are people among us on earth who do not have water in abundance, and what little they have is not purified or healthy.  Pray how we can help!

(Water facts are culled and consolidated from ririanproject.com.)