October 7, 2025
Tuesday, October 7, 2025
From Tap Water to Fine Wine
And Jesus said to her [his mother],
“What concern is that to me and to you?”
John 2:4 (MSG)
Ever been asked to do something and thought, Why me? What concern is that to me?
That’s how Jesus responded to His mother, who expected him to do something when the wine ran out at the wedding in Cana. It wasn’t time for him to reveal his true nature. Yet he quietly stepped in anyway. Water became wine, and His first miracle pointed to God’s abundant presence in ordinary moments.
I felt something similar when asked to speak to a group of students in Denton about building a personal brand. My internal voice resisted at first: the distance, the traffic, the hassle. “What concern are they to me?” But then the leader added, “These kids could really use any encouragement and help.”
I recognized the nudge, God’s speaking through the leader. He was already at work among these young people aging out of foster care, and now He was inviting me to join Him in that work. So I said yes, braved rush-hour traffic, and arrived … only to find the brand-new television screens for my PowerPoint not yet fully installed and working. Armed with only a whiteboard, I wondered again, “Lord, tell me again…what concern is this to me?”
His answer came the next morning as I reflected on the Cana story, which, in God’s divine planning happened to be the next verses in my Bible reading plan. Two students had lingered after my talk, to thank me for coming, eager to ask more questions, and to share their dreams – one to create beauty through jewelry design (her words, not mine), the other to pursue bio-chemistry engineering to help people with prosthetics and brain injuries to function more fully. Their eyes lit up with possibility.
I realized that for at least these two, I was exactly where I needed to be, doing exactly what He invited me to do. All God asks is that we show up when He calls — even if we’re tempted to ask or can’t readily see, “What concern is that to me?”
And when we say yes, God can take the ordinary tap water of our schedules, skills, or inconveniences and transform it into the wine of encouragement, hope, and faith for His purposes…living proof that His presence still works miracles today.
Reflect: Where might God be inviting you to join Him, even in something that first feels inconvenient or outside your concern?
Pray: Lord, take the ordinary moments of my life—my time, my gifts, even my inconveniences—and use them for Your glory. Help me to recognize when You are speaking and nudging me. Teach me to say yes when You call, trusting that You can turn the simple water I offer into something rich and life-giving for others. In the name of Your Son, Amen.
By His Grace
Gloria Ashby
Lay Leader