In 1843 a man was born who was to have a profound impact upon the educational system of the United States. His name was Russell Herman Conwell. After practicing law for fifteen years he became a pastor.
One day, a young man told him he wanted a college education but couldn’t possibly afford it. Dr. Conwell decided, at that moment he was going to do something about it. He would build a university for unfortunate, but deserving, students.
So he began to raise money so that poor kids could get a good education. He raised nearly six million dollars, about 20 million in today’s money. The institution he founded is Temple University in Philadelphia,
Everywhere he went he told the same story. It was a true story that intrigued him and affected him deeply. The story called . . . . Acres Of Diamonds.
When diamonds were first found in Africa, a farmer there got so excited that he sold his farm in order to seek for these precious gems which he hoped would one day make him rich. In fact, he spent the rest of his life wandering all over the continent searching for diamonds—unsuccessfully. Eventually, in a fit of despair, he threw himself into a river and drowned.
Meanwhile, one day the new owner of the man’s farm picked up a large, unusual looking rock. Upon further investigation, it turned out to be a huge diamond. Furthermore, the whole farm was studded with them. The farm became known as the Kimberly Diamond Mine … one of the richest the world has ever known. The original farmer had owned literally “acres of diamonds” when he sold his farm to look for them elsewhere.
And, of course, the story provokes a natural question, “Could there be something in my life right now of enormous value that I just can’t recognize? Is there something staring me in the face that I can’t see?”
I believe the answer is “yes”! If “love is the greatest,” then our greatest treasure must have something to do with the people around us. We obviously can’t have love by ourselves. It must flow from one to another.
In the last post I wrote about the need to be awakened with the help of others from our semi-conscious state. In Ephesians 1:18 Paul says something similar i.e. we need our spiritual eyes opened. And so he prays for his readers, that the eyes of their hearts would be opened so they could perceive the riches of God’s love in one another.
Neighbours and co-workers and family members may not look like the answer to our heart’s desire, but then again neither do unrefined diamonds look like anything special either.If only the farmer in our story had his eyes opened to what diamonds looked like, everything would have turned out differently.
Why not take some time today to ask God to help you see the beauty in your husband or wife, or friend, to remind you perhaps of the overpowering love you experienced for your children when they first came into your life? Why not ask him to help you see the preciousness of the people you work with or those in your neighbourhood—people, no doubt, who often don’t look like anything very valuable? Why not take time to think about the tragic end of the man who owned acres of diamonds and determine that your life is going to be different, that you’re going to find the true riches of authentic love?
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