As we lose ourselves in the service of others, we discover our own lives and our own happiness
~ Dieter F. Uchtdorf
This parable by Myra Brooks Welch has been around for a long time, but I never get tired of it. Such a great message of the worth of a soul.
‘Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer
Thought it was scarcely worth his while
To waste much time on the old violin,
But held it up with a smile:
“What am I bidden, good folks,” he cried,
“Who’ll start the bidding for me?”
“A dollar, a dollar”; then, “Two!’ “Only two?
Two dollars, and who’ll make it three?
Three dollars, once; three dollars twice;
going for three —” But no,
From the room, far back, a gray-haired man
Came forward and picked up the bow;
Then, wiping the dust from the old violin,
And tightening the loose strings,
He played a melody pure and sweet
As a caroling angel sings.
The music ceased, and the auctioneer,
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said: “What am I bid for the old violin?”
And he held it up with the bow.
“A thousand dollars, and who’ll make it two?
Two thousand! And who’ll make it three?
Three thousand, once, three thousand twice,
And going, and gone,” said he.
The people cheered, but some of them cried,
“We do not quite understand
What changed its worth.” Swift came the reply:
“The touch of the master’s hand.”
And many a man with life out of tune,
And battered and scarred with sin,
Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd,
Much like the old violin.
A “mess of pottage,” a glass of wine;
A game — and he travels on.
He is “going” once, “going” twice,
He’s “going” and almost “gone.”
But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd
Never can quite understand
The worth of a soul and the change that’s wrought
By the touch of the Master’s hand.’
As I reread this wonderful poem, my mind when to a scene in the movie The Help when Aibileen tells the little girl, “You is kind, You is Smart, You is Important.” Check out the scene I am referring to here. I appreciated the tenderness expressed and the powerful message of inspiring a child.
For Sunday, I want you to remember your worth. Everyone has a purpose in life. There is a reason you are here. Discover it. Believe it. Pursue it. Achieve it.
I encourage you to inspire someone else in the same spirit as Aibileen inspired the little girl. Make a difference in someone’s life. It will change yours.
Choose to uplift and inspire.
~ SLE
Steven Lee Elder 