Genesis 24:18-19 “Yes, my lord,” she answered, “have a drink.” And she quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and gave him a drink. When she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels, too, until they have had enough to drink.” (NLT)
Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac grew older. Sarah’s hips grew wider, and her knees became weaker. Abraham’s face wrinkled, and his skin grew thin. He slept longer in the mornings and fell asleep earlier in the evenings. Then Sarah died. And Abraham, the old man, was lonely, for he had lost a wife. But Isaac was even sadder because he had lost his mother.
And Abraham saw the sorrow in his son’s eyes, which only multiplied his grief. What could he do for his son? How could he be a father, a mother, and an old man all at the same time? And he went to the river to think. He picked up smooth rocks and skipped them across the water, watching the ripples spread and be displaced by the current. And then he had an idea.
He called one of his servants over. And Abraham told his servant to find his son a wife. But not from anywhere around here. The servant was supposed to find Isaac a wife in the town where Abraham was born. This was no small request, and the servant felt overwhelmed. How would he find a girl willing to leave her home and move far away to marry a boy she’d never met? And agreeing to be married was just the beginning. Finding someone to marry was not like finding a skipping rock.
But while he didn’t know how to find a wife for another man, he had already found a wife for himself. And so he knew something about romance, aging, arguments, living together, sharing space, food, stories, names, children, and life. And so he knew that more important than good looks or good humor or good breath or anything else was kindness.
Because life was hard. People mess up and get tired, hungry, bored, and sad. And they need lots of second chances. Lots of “I’m sorry” and “thank you,” and “it’s alright” and “I understand.” And so a good partner must be kind. And the biggest giveaway of kindness is generosity. And so the servant came up with a kindness test.
This is how he’d find the right girl for Isaac. He would take some camels with him. And they’d travel to Abrahams’ birthplace and go to the local wells and ask the girls there for some water. And a girl who gave him water would be kind. But the girl who didn’t just give him water but also got water for the camels would be extra kind. And if the girl is extra kind to a stranger and some camels, she would probably be kind enough to partner with, and live with, and love with, and forgive with, and trust with, and build with, and risk with, and try with, and have kids with. And if she was kind enough for all that, then she was kind enough.
In the end, the servant decided to bring along 10 camels. He would arrive like an inconvenience and see who responded. He traveled over hills, through mountain passes, and along winding ridges, and traveled and traveled and traveled until he could finally see Abraham’s homeland in the distance.
As he approached the city, he wondered if his scheme would work. And he wondered how long it might take. And he worried that if he loitered too long at the wells talking to all the young women, people might get the wrong idea. So he prayed and asked for God’s help. And then he set off to perform his kindness test. And the first well he came to had a girl. And the very first girl he saw offered him water. And when he finished drinking, she took the bucket and drew more water for all his camels, too. And this took a lot of work, because camels drink a lot of water.
Was it possible? This was the first well, and the first girl. He watched as she drew bucket after bucket after bucket of cold, beautiful, sacred water from the well. Lowering the rope down and then raising it up again and again. Her arms were strong because they were practiced in kindness. Abraham’s servant was dumbstruck, surprised that his plan had worked so quickly. Amazed by a girl who showed kindness to a stranger — who even showed kindness to the stranger’s camels.
But why had it been so easy? Why such luck? Or was it not luck at all? Perhaps this is just how people are. Maybe most people want to help most of the time. You don’t always see it, like water under the earth, but it’s there anyway, rich and cold and pure. Maybe the world is actually overflowing with kindness and generosity. Maybe what was most remarkable was how unremarkable she was. And every time another bucket came up and another camel was fed, it felt like another baptism, like the world was being washed clean and made new. And with each bucket of water, the servant said, “Thank you,” “Thank you,” “Thank you.”
And while he said thank you, he imagined her future. She didn’t know what was about to happen. Because she was at this place at this moment and showed kindness, her life changed forever. She’d leave the land she knew and the parents she loved. She’d marry a lonely boy she’d never met. And she’d become as indispensable to his life as a mother. She would love and suffer and live for her family. And all this, simply because she was here. Simply because they bumped into each other. And that is how the world turns. People bumping into each other and choosing to be kind.
And after the camels were all watered, the man followed the girl home so he could talk to her parents. He told them all about Abraham and Isaac. And it turned out that the girl was not showing kindness to a stranger at all, but to a long-lost relative. She was the granddaughter of Abraham’s brother! And her name was Rebekah. And she agreed to marry Isaac. And off she went on one of the camels she’d helped to water. She was going to marry a man she didn’t know because he needed a wife, and she needed a husband, and he’d lost a mother, and she’d found a family.
And Abraham’s servant was amazed at the courage and craziness of it all. Of a girl who trusted a man she hardly knew and a man who’d leave his parents and take a wife. And all this only works because people, so often, are generous. And trust each other like the long-lost family they actually are. And because children are born and parents die and the world rolls on and on, like ripples across rivers or buckets and buckets and buckets of water, brimming full with hope, confidence, trust, and faith that mostly the world is good and people are kind.
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