The late Peter Marshall was an eloquent speaker and for several years served as the chaplain of the US Senate. He used to love to tell the story of the "Keeper of the Spring," a quiet forest dweller who lived high above an Austrian village along the eastern slope of the Alps.
The old gentleman had been hired many years earlier by a young town councilman to clear away the debris from the pools of water up in the mountain crevices that fed the lovely spring flowing through their town. With faithful, silent regularity, he patrolled the hills, removed the leaves and branches, and wiped away the silt that would otherwise have choked and contaminated the fresh flow of water. The village soon became a popular attraction for vacationers. Graceful swans floated along the crystal clear spring, the mill wheels of various businesses located near the water turned day and night, farmlands were naturally irrigated, and the view from restaurants was picturesque beyond description.
The old gentleman had been hired many years earlier by a young town councilman to clear away the debris from the pools of water up in the mountain crevices that fed the lovely spring flowing through their town. With faithful, silent regularity, he patrolled the hills, removed the leaves and branches, and wiped away the silt that would otherwise have choked and contaminated the fresh flow of water. The village soon became a popular attraction for vacationers. Graceful swans floated along the crystal clear spring, the mill wheels of various businesses located near the water turned day and night, farmlands were naturally irrigated, and the view from restaurants was picturesque beyond description.
Years passed. One evening the town council met for its semiannual meeting. As they reviewed the budget, one man's eye caught the salary figure being paid to the obscure keeper of the spring. Said the keeper of the purse, "Who is the old man? Why do we keep him on year after year? No one ever sees him. For all we know, the strange ranger of the hills is doing us no good. He isn't necessary any longer." By a unanimous vote, they dispensed with the old man's services.
For several weeks, nothing changed.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 in the spring. A few days later, the water was much darker. Within another week, a slimy film covered sections of the water along the banks, and a foul odor was soon detected. The mill wheels moved more slowly, some finally ground to a halt. Swans left, as did the tourists. Clammy fingers of disease and sickness reached deeply into the village.
Quickly, the embarrassed council called a special meeting. Realizing their gross error in judgment, they rehired the old keeper of the spring, and within a few weeks, the veritable river of life began to clear up. The wheels started to turn, and new life returned to the hamlet in the Alps……contributed by Charles R. Swindoll
As seen in the story, the villagers initially didn’t immediately realize the importance of the task done by the Spring Keeper. Eventually the season changed and the leaves started falling off and these dead leaves and branches started building up as debris in the water. Soon enough the water got contaminated and it impacted the whole village. This holds true in our real life also. Every small bit of anger, unforgiveness, bad habits, negative thoughts, misunderstandings, hatred, strife etc. eventually builds up within us. No sooner when seasons or conditions in our life change, when we face seasons of opposition, failures etc all this debris within us starts emanating a foul smell which is seen in the way we react. It also changes our lifestyle and it impacts us as well as people associated with us. Quite often we don’t realize the impact of small things in our lives until it starts showing up in a big way. Here’s a good quote that I read which explains the impact of small beginnings
Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become your character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny
The other point to learn from this story is the importance of the spring keeper. We all need a spring keeper in our lives to help identify and clean up the small things building within us. A spring keeper in this context need not always be a real person; it can also be books or any other material which can give us an insight within our lives. I believe that no one can change anyone else. The only person we can change is our SELF. So it’s futile to even TRY to change someone. Too often we have a blind spot within us which does not let us realize if there is something wrong in us. A spring keeper in our life will help serve as speed breakers or stop signs or even warning sign boards which can help us steer away from getting into a mess. It’s true when they say Books are man’s best friends. But just reading stuff won’t change anything. If we don’t implement what we read and learn then it is a complete waste. Also if you chose to have a person to be a spring keeper for you then, be willing to listen to things which you might not like to hear. Too often we surround ourselves with people who agree with us in everything and this is exactly like one blind person leading the other blind. Choose someone who truly loves and cares for you unconditionally and will be willing to speak bluntly too in our lives when required.
Moral: - Take time to look within yourself before it’s too late and have a spring keeper to help identify and help you clean up on a regular basis.
God Bless You
For several weeks, nothing changed.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 in the spring. A few days later, the water was much darker. Within another week, a slimy film covered sections of the water along the banks, and a foul odor was soon detected. The mill wheels moved more slowly, some finally ground to a halt. Swans left, as did the tourists. Clammy fingers of disease and sickness reached deeply into the village.
Quickly, the embarrassed council called a special meeting. Realizing their gross error in judgment, they rehired the old keeper of the spring, and within a few weeks, the veritable river of life began to clear up. The wheels started to turn, and new life returned to the hamlet in the Alps……contributed by Charles R. Swindoll
As seen in the story, the villagers initially didn’t immediately realize the importance of the task done by the Spring Keeper. Eventually the season changed and the leaves started falling off and these dead leaves and branches started building up as debris in the water. Soon enough the water got contaminated and it impacted the whole village. This holds true in our real life also. Every small bit of anger, unforgiveness, bad habits, negative thoughts, misunderstandings, hatred, strife etc. eventually builds up within us. No sooner when seasons or conditions in our life change, when we face seasons of opposition, failures etc all this debris within us starts emanating a foul smell which is seen in the way we react. It also changes our lifestyle and it impacts us as well as people associated with us. Quite often we don’t realize the impact of small things in our lives until it starts showing up in a big way. Here’s a good quote that I read which explains the impact of small beginnings
Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become your character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny
The other point to learn from this story is the importance of the spring keeper. We all need a spring keeper in our lives to help identify and clean up the small things building within us. A spring keeper in this context need not always be a real person; it can also be books or any other material which can give us an insight within our lives. I believe that no one can change anyone else. The only person we can change is our SELF. So it’s futile to even TRY to change someone. Too often we have a blind spot within us which does not let us realize if there is something wrong in us. A spring keeper in our life will help serve as speed breakers or stop signs or even warning sign boards which can help us steer away from getting into a mess. It’s true when they say Books are man’s best friends. But just reading stuff won’t change anything. If we don’t implement what we read and learn then it is a complete waste. Also if you chose to have a person to be a spring keeper for you then, be willing to listen to things which you might not like to hear. Too often we surround ourselves with people who agree with us in everything and this is exactly like one blind person leading the other blind. Choose someone who truly loves and cares for you unconditionally and will be willing to speak bluntly too in our lives when required.
Moral: - Take time to look within yourself before it’s too late and have a spring keeper to help identify and help you clean up on a regular basis.
God Bless You
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