5 things I learned from Samaritan womanIf you Google “things I learned from,” you get more than 200 million possible results. You can find posts about things I learned from my mother, my sister, my patients. From watching movies, from Winnie the Pooh, from a cow.

Then there’s the “Advice from…” category. We have a refrigerator magnet with “Advice from the Moon.” Related bookmarks, posters, and postcards are available from the same company with advice from a bat, a moose, a glacier, a waterfall, etc.

So I got to thinking about what I’ve learned from writing my books based on Esther, Bathsheba, and the Samaritan woman at the well. Here’s my take on the latter, along with the biblical references that support each one:

5 Things I Learned from the Samaritan Woman

  1. When a stranger asks for water, give him a drink. (Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” John 4:7)
  2. Don’t settle for less than the best. (The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty.” John 4:15)
  3. Tell the truth. You never know who you’re talking to. (You have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true. John 4:18)
  4. Ask questions. Challenge the accepted wisdom. (“I know that the Messiah is coming. When he comes, he will tell us everything.”John 4:25)
  5. When you meet the Messiah, tell everyone you know. (Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” John 4:39)

I’m still working on what I’ve learned from Esther and Bathsheba. It’s not easy to make them concise.

What list of “Things I Learned from…” can you come up with? Who (or what) has inspired you with advice? I’d love to know.