Click above to listen to Wellspring from Unveiled as your background reading music (piano and English horn duet with Jill Haley). If you enjoy, consider purchasing the song, album download, or CD from Amazon, iTunes, or stantonlanier.com (where sheet music is also available).

Have you ever had your breath taken away by a cold water spring?

Did you just go for it and jump in, or did you take longer and tip toe your way in? One of my memories is from Barton Springs Pool in Austin, Texas. The pool itself measures three acres in size, and is fed from underground springs with an average temperature of 70 degrees. The cold water will take your breath away, but it is so exhilarating and incredibly refreshing. Here is how this relates to the song Wellspring…

There is a verse that says “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it is the wellspring of life.” (Proverbs 4:23) When I was composing the music you are listening to, I found a way to make the piano have a bubbling or rippling sound. I envisioned myself hiking in a distant forest, coming upon an old well and quenching my thirst with its cool and refreshing water. The English horn symbolizes that I am not alone on this quest to renew my heart daily, to not let it become bitter or hardened.

When our hearts are renewed, refreshed, or even exhilarated by something God reveals to us, or does through us, our living looks more like beautiful flowers or trees. I am still learning to embrace the mystery and uncertainty that is part of this journey into wonder and adventure. Sometimes you just have to “jump” — take a leap of faith — instead of tip toeing, when God invites you into the “pool” of His activity. There is no limit to its size, and instead of coming from underground, His divine “springs” will refresh and sustain you from above.

What step can you take to nurture your heart, your “wellspring of life” today?