Wells

So Isaac departed from there and camped in the valley of Gerar and settled there. Isaac dug again the wells of water that had been dug in the days of his father Abraham; for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham; and he gave them the names that his father had given them. (Genesis 26:16-17)

There are two ways (and probably more) to look at this passage.

Sometimes I worry that we dig wells just because that is where our forerunners dug wells. The only thought given to the action is, "This is what those who came before did, so this is what we will do." It doesn't necessary follow that just because a well yielded water in the past, that it will do the same in the future.

On the other hand, Isaac is following his fathers' lead. Our forerunners have already demonstrated how to reach water. They a have taught us who God is and how to follow him.

How do we make sure that we are not digging wells for just the sake of digging them? How do we know that our goal is to find living water, and that we are learning faith from those who came before us and not just traditions for the sake of "we have always done it that way"?