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I wonder if living waters flow from me.

An old man lived in the Alpine forest, high above a village. The village hired him to clear rubbish from pools of water which fed the stream that flowed through the town. Faithfully, he removed leaves, branches, and accumulated silt that contaminated the fresh-water flow. The town possessed such a beautiful, clear stream that it became a popular tourist attraction.

One year, the town council questioned the salary paid to this obscure keeper of the stream and voted to cut expenses by eliminating his position. When fall arrived, trees shed their leaves and small branches snapped off and fell into the pools, impeding the flow of water. Within a few weeks, a slimy film covered sections of water and villagers detected a foul odor. Tourists left and some residents became ill. 

Realizing their error, the town council called a special meeting and rehired the keeper of the stream. Soon, the stream cleared and life in the town returned to normal.

When I heard this story, I thought about my stream and the debris that clogs it. Habits, gossip, pride, unforgiveness. Rotten leaves create a dam and keep water from flowing.

I understood my goal was to be so connected with Christ that living waters flowed from me so others may know Him. And I thought about Christ being the keeper who removes what litters my stream.

The danger of no keeper is subtle at first. I may not notice the fresh and flowing water becoming stagnant and still. But eventually, leaves of self and sin pile up, stink, and rot. Just like the town council, I can choose to value the role of the keeper and allow Him to work or I can let my stream stay clogged with stink and slime. 

The keeper of the stream is always willing to clean up our mess. He never walks away muttering, “You get what you deserve.” Rather, He lovingly removes the debris and encourages us to flow again. He loves us unconditionally and died to pay the penalty for our sin, junk, and debris.

Let the keeper of the stream remove anything that prevents your living waters from flowing to others. 

(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)

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