I know that you sincerely trust the Lord, for you have the faith of your mother, Eunice, and your grandmother, Lois. This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. So you must never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don't be ashamed of me, either, even though I'm in prison for Christ. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the proclamation of the Good News. (2 Timothy 1:5-8 NLV). 

Peter Marshall, one of my favorite preachers from days gone by, told this story. Once upon a time, a certain town grew up at the foot of a mountain range. It was sheltered there in it’s shadow, so that the cruel wind that threw sleet at the windows and howled through the cracks of homes on the other side, when it came to the foot of the mountain, was a wind spent. High up in the hills, a strange and quiet fellow took it upon himself to be the Keeper of the Springs. Whenever he would see a spring, he cleaned its brown pool of silt and fallen leaves, of mud and mold, and took away all foreign matter, so that the water that bubbled up from the springs was clean and cold and pure. It leaped sparkling over rocks and dropped joyously in crystal cascades until swollen by other streams, it became a river of life to the busy town. Millwheels were turned by its rush. Gardens were refreshed by its waters. Fountains threw it like diamonds into the air. On its surface swans swam lazily, and children laughed and played on its banks in the springtime. But the city council was a group of penny conscious businessmen. They scanned the budget and found within it a salary for the Keeper of the Springs. They said, "Why are we paying this invisible man? He is never seen. We don’t need him. Why if we build a reservoir, we can do away with the position entirely. So they did. The water filled the concrete basin, but it didn’t seem the same. Where before it was sparkling and clear as it moved past the city, now it sat, brown and languid. Soon, it began to show the signs of a green slime. There were constant troubles with the pumps after that, and the swans found a cleaner place above town. Finally, an epidemic broke out, and the sickness reached its cold hand into every home in the city. The City Council met again, realizing the error of its ways, and called for the Keeper of the Springs to make it right again. It wasn’t long until it was right. The springs were cleaned and the water joyfully leaped down the mountain. The Millwheels turned as of old. The swans returned. And children played again by the banks of the stream. 

Let me be quick to add a “Mother’s Day Disclaimer.” I think of all women, whether mothers or not, as keepers of the springs. That does not lessen the responsibility that men have in life, but it does speak of the difference in them. The influence of a godly woman cannot be underestimated. It is only magnified in motherhood. Anyone who is entrusted with the care of children needs 189 moveable parts, 3 pairs of hands and the ever-popular eyes in the back of her head. Norman Bates of All About Families ministry says, "She’s got to be as insightful as a psychologist, tough as a Marine Corps DI, gentle as a nurse. She’s got to be a labor and management negotiator, a teacher, an electrician, a plumber and a carpenter. It requires a massive amount of patience, endless energy, and iron will, and the ever present reality that if she gets sick, she’s got to get well before the end of the day." I can just hear the “amens” from all of you who are mothers! Nevertheless it is true. Abraham Lincoln was once quoted as saying, "No man is poor, who has had a godly mother." There is no position ordained by God with more influence than that of a Mother. That cuts sharp at times though, doesn’t it? What influence are you having today on your children and those around you? Renew your commitment today to a life of faithfulness.