There are two seas in Israel

A couple years ago I visited Israel. On that trip we had an opportunity to visit the two different seas in Israel. As we drove south from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea our trip leader told us a story of the two different seas in Israel. It sent something like this: 

In Israel there are two seas. One is the Sea of Galilee and the other is the Dead Sea. The Sea of Galilee is beautiful, the water is blue and life is thriving in there. Trees line the banks. Families travel there in the summer to splash in the water. Fish swim throughout its bounds. 

The Jordan River flows into this Sea from the sunny hills to the north. The snow melt travels down. On the south end the Jordan river continues to flow into another sea. The Jordan is used to irrigate fields and trees. Flocks drink its water and find life. Families are sustained with the life it gives. 

The Jordan flows south into the Dead Sea. Here there are no fish swimming, no birds flying above, no kids playing in the water and no families surrounding the shoreline. No man or animal can drink of this sea. Life does not exist in the Dead Sea. 

One might wonder: What makes this enormous difference between these neighboring bodies of water? Does something happen in the Jordan that turns the water bad? No. 

The water that flows into each body is good water. It’s not the soil, the people, or the geography of the land. The difference is that the Sea of Galilee receives but does not keep the water. For every drop it receives it also gives back. The Sea of Galilee gives equally as it receives. The Sea of Galilee is generous. 

At the other end, the Dead Sea keeps the Jordan. It hordes all the water that is poured into it. Every drop is kept for itself; it never sends water elsewhere. It selfishly keeps all that is given to it with no thought of giving. 

There are two Seas in Israel. The Sea of Galilee is generous and giving while the Dead Sea shares nothing. What sea best represents your life? What sea do you want to be like? I think that God gives us money to steward, not to posses.