Did you realize that over half our body contains water? Without this vital element, we would cease to exist. How long could we last without replenishing our body with water? Well, I am no expert but, for me, this past weekend has been eye-opening regarding this natural resource that too many people take for granted.

Last week, I got a call from my child's school saying that he threw up in class. I picked him up from school and right away he went to bed. Soon, another child was heard vomiting in the bathroom and then went to bed. Shortly after that the third child was curled up asleep with the same malady.  Jokingly, I told my husband, "Well, three down and four more to go."

The joke was on me the next day when I was knocked out with the same bug. You have to understand that I have given birth to 5 children and one of them without pain medication, but for me I would rather give birth again then have the stomach bug. I detest vomiting like it was the plague. Why would that be besides the obvious grossness of it? Well, every time it happens to me, I get dehydrated within hours and end up in the ER with an IV. It happens just about yearly for me, like an unwelcome annual tradition.

We headed to the ER and I was given fluids through an IV as well as Zofran. Usually I get a couple of bags of fluid and Zofran to stop the vomiting. Within a few hours I am worlds better than when I first get there. However, this time in the ER it was not the same, after an IV and medication, I still felt extremely sick – so much so that my body began to go into some type of panic attack, spasm or shock. I continued to vomit and my hands became completely as if paralyzed. I couldn't move my fingers at all. I was shortly thereafter discharged from the ER even though I was still so ill. I couldn't even walk. Knowing there was no way I could make it to the car on my own two feet, I asked for a wheelchair and we left the hospital.

At home I became much worse. Even my speech turned into gibberish (I could of given Chewbacca a run for his money). My husband wanted to take me back to the hospital, but I was adamant that I was not going back. I told him to call a friend that happened to be an EMT and see if she could come see what was wrong with me. At this point, I felt like I was going slightly delusional. Because of the quick help of a few friends in the medical field, they saw how dehydrated I was and started another IV. I can't tell you how grateful I will always be for their life-saving help. Throughout the next few days I slept longer than I have ever had slept in my life. I rested, re-hydrated my body and sent many prayers to my Father in Heaven, pleading with Him to be able to feel well again and care for my family.

Why am I sharing this unpleasant story with you? Because today, being day one of feeling like I have my body back, a lesson hit me like a ton of bricks. As I reflected on what it felt like when I was so very sick, I realized how vital water is to my survival and how I don't drink enough of it. Studies have shown that a person should drink about 8 glasses of water a day. Here are just a few things water does for your body: water pushes the blood to your organs, it carries nutrients throughout the body and oxygen to the brain. When dehydration happens all of those important jobs that water does suffer dangerously.

Then it hit me, just like water is vital to the survival of my mortal body, Jesus Christ is vital to my spiritual body. In the New Testament it says, "Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst." (John 4:14) Just as I need to daily hydrate my body with water, I must also daily hydrate my spirit with the words of Christ to fill my mortal vessel with "living water" to help me endure the trials and stresses of life. As we daily hydrate ourselves with "living water" we build a reservoir of spiritual strength. When trials and adversities befall us, we can drink deeply of that reservoir of faith in Christ as he carries and lifts us through our challenges.

After this experience of dehydrating yet again after becoming sick, I need to take action. Join me as I take "The Water Challenge." From TheWaterPage.com it says, "How long can you live without water? A person can survive only three to five days without water, in some cases people have survived for an average of one week. It is not recommended that anyone try this at home. Once the body is deprived of fluids the cells and organs in the body begin to deteriorate. The presence of water in the body could mean the difference between life and death." Will you join me as I take the Water Challenge and drink at least 8 glasses a day? I know. Sounds easy, right? Maybe for some, but I am sure there are many out there like me that are living almost always dehydrated and it may be the cause of many of our illnesses both mentally and physically.

Download this free sign to add to your refrigerator door. Print, fill in the names of your family members under each row of cups, laminate, attach a dry eraser marker and add a magnet to the backside. There are 8 different pages to choose from depending on how many are in your family.

To help you build your spiritual reservoir of "living water" visit our past posts on Scripture Smoothies and Ponderize.