Lemon-Chicken Rice Soup

“But whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” JOHN 4:14

This morning, my lovely roommate Mary and I both woke up with the thoughts of having quick breakfast (toast for both of us; the easiest breakfast solution for a house with no functioning water), going about our mornings prepping for class in our separate ways, and then heading to class.
Instead, Jesus reminded us both at once: sit at my feet, and do it together while you’re together. 
And immediately both of us lit up as we started talking about our Father, and what He might be trying to teach us in the midst of not having running water.
Maybe, that while we had been stressing, complaining, and rapidly trying to solve the water issue, we were ignoring the fact that we were laughing so much, spending more time together than ever, and that the lack of water had led to so many amazing conversations.
Mary and I spent the morning in prayer and conversation that Jesus knew we needed before deciding that we would team up to make soup with chicken I needed to use! Mary cooked the chicken, and I made this soup my own– I sort of used Greta Podleski’s recipe, but changed it to suit ingredients and my favourite spices. Enjoy this recipe on a cold winter day!

Lemon-Chicken Rice Soup
Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil
1.5 c onion, finely chopped
1 c carrots, chopped
1 c celery, chopped
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp thyme
6 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 cups chopped, cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup brown rice
1 cup spinach
1/4 cup parsley
Method

1. In large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add veggies and all the spices, and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes, or until veggies are tender. Add broth and lemon juice; stir. Bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add rice and spinach, and simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Finally, add chicken, and leave to simmer another 5 minutes. Top with parsley and parmesan cheese, if desired, before serving.

And, some plumbers came while we were making soup and listening to worship music, and chatted with us while fixing– FIXING!– the water– and we have water! Oh what a gift water is, and how we don’t realize it until we don’t have it! But oh, what would we do if we didn’t have the LIVING water?
This has been a wonderful lesson from Jesus that all we need is Him. He is the LIVING water, the fountain who gave us birth, and when the world says we need other things, we just need to marvel at His feet and worship the King.

Lord, set my feet and ears and eyes to worship You. To live in a way that exalts You. To look for all that You are doing, Lord. In Your Name.