Keeper of the Spring

picture guarding your heart as if it
were a fresh spring of water that you
want to drink from daily. The bible tells
us that the heart is "the wellspring of
life",(Proverbs 4:23), the source of our
attitudes, words and deeds. If we fail
to keep our hearts clean, the rest of
our lives will stagnate and become dirty.

Peter Marshall, the former chaplain of
the United States Senate loved to tell
a story called, "The Keeper of the Spring".
This simple tale beautifully illustrates the
importance of constantly maintaining the
purity of our hearts.

An elderly, quiet forest dweller once
lived high above an Austrian village along
the eastern slopes of the Alps. Many years
ago, the town council had hired this old
gentleman as Keeper of the Spring to
maintain the purity of the pools of water
in the mountain crevices. The overflow
from these pools ran down the mountain
side and fed the lovely spring that flowed
through the town.

With faithful, silent regularity, the Keeper
ofthe Spring patrolled the hills, removed
the leaves and branches from the pools,
and wiped away the silt that would other-
wise choke andcontaminate the fresh flow
of water. By and by, the village became a
popular attraction for vacationers. Graceful
swans floated along the crystal-clear spring,
the mill wheels of the various businesses
located near the water turned day and night,
farmlands were naturally irrigated and the
view from the restaurant sparkled.

Years passes. One evening, the town
council met for its semiannual meeting.
As the council members reviewed the budget,
one man's eye caught the salary paid the
obscure Keeper of the Spring. "Who is this
old man?", he asked indignantly. "Why do
we keep paying for him year after year?
No one ever sees him. For all we know,
this man does us no good. He isn't
necessary any longer!" By a unanimous
vote, the council dispensed with the old
man's services.

For several weeks, nothing changed. But
by early autumn, the trees began to shed
their leaves. Small branches snapped off
and fell into the pools, hindering the rushing
flow of sparkling water. One afternoon,
someone noticed a slight yellowish-brown
tint to the water in the spring. A few days
later, the water had darkened even more.

Within a week, a slimy film covered sections
of the water along the banks, and a foul
odour emanated from the spring. The mill
wheels moved slowly; some finally ground
to a halt. Businesses that were located near
the water closed. The swans migrated to
fresher waters far away, and tourists no
longer visited the town. Eventually, the
clammy fingers of disease and sickness
reached deeply into the village.

The shortsighted town council had enjoyed
the beauty of the spring but underestimated
the importance of guarding its source. We
can make the same mistake in our lives. Like
the Keeper of the Spring who maintained the
purity of the water, YOU and I are the Keepers
of Our Hearts. We need to consistently evaluate
the purity of our hearts in prayer, asking God
to reveal the little things that contaminate us.

As God reveals our wrong attitudes, longings,
and desires, we must remove them from our
hearts.

so ask yourselves today,

"what are the pollutants in my
heart that God has revealed?"