There is a fable that has been attributed to Aesop, but likely came from another source. It is called the “Story Of The Painted Gold”.
There was once an elderly man who sold all of his possessions and brought a large piece of gold. He buried the treasure in the earth near a large wooden fence. Each day he dug up the gold and admired it. A neighbour observed the man’s daily ritual and wondered what he was doing. One night he crept to the exact spot where he had seen the old man and discovered the magnificent gold piece. He immediately placed it in his pocket and left the country.
When the man discovered the empty hole the next day, he let out a loud cry of anguish. Another neighbour heard the scream and came running to the aid of her friend. Full of grief, the old man told her the entire story.
“Stop your crying”, the neighbour advised, “and find a stone of equal size. Paint it the colour of gold and put it back in the earth. Each day you can come and pretend that it is still there. The stone will serve the same purpose since you never meant to use the gold anyway.’
Like any good fable, a life lesson comes embedded in the story.
One of the cornerstones of our faith is a belief that we didn’t enter this world as lumps of clay, waiting for life to shape and mould us, but rather we were born encoded with skills and gifts from the Creator. Our job in life is to figure out what we were made to do and be. As the old saying goes, “we were born twice. The first time is when we are physically born; the second time is when we figure out why”.
Some of us figure out our “why” soon after our “when”. We discover our passions early on, and develop the skills we need to thrive and excel. For others, it may take years to decode their inner giftedness. Grandma Moses didn’t pick up a paintbrush until she was 78 and went on to create some true works of art. There is no shelf life in our quest to uncover what treasure may lie within.
On the other hand, our parable is a cautionary tale of what can happen when we sell ourselves short. When we hide our gifts and talents away, we are not realizing the value of what we have been given.
As we start a new season at Northwest, it is a great time to take a wander through our inner garden and see if we can dig up and dust off any pieces of gold we may have hidden there. September is a perfect time of year to turn over a new leaf, start a new project, realize a goal that we have been putting off.
Gold is only as good as our willingness to invest it. The same is true of all the good things that God has given to us. Best wishes for the season ahead. May it be a golden year!!
