Acres of Diamonds

"There once lived a Persian man named Ali Hafed. He had a lovely family and a prosperous farm. The farm contained orchards, grain fields, and a garden. Ali had money and seemed content. Then one day an ancient Buddhist priest passed through and met Ali. The priest explained many things of far away places. He told Ali of stones that could be found in the earth that glistened like the sun. Ali immediately decided to go search for them. So eager was he to search for better things Ali sold his prosperous farm for almost pennies and left his family.

One day while working in the field the man who had bought Ali's farm stumbled upon a shiny stone-like object. He picked it up and took it home as he had never seen anything so shiny. Several days later the same ancient Buddhist priest passed by the new owner's house and saw the shiny object. He asked, “Has Ali returned home?”

“No, why do you ask?” The priest replied, “Because I see that you have a large diamond on your mantel piece.”

The farmer was startled to hear that he had discovered a diamond in his backyard. He quickly replied, “There are more-many more like this out there.” Soon the farmer became one of the wealthiest men in his part of the world. He had discovered acres of diamonds in his own backyard.

Had Ali Hafed remained at home and dug in his own cellar or underneath his own wheat fields or in his own garden instead of seeking and wandering aimlessly searching for wealth, he would have discovered the “acres of diamonds” himself. Instead he threw everything away and suffered wretchedness, starvation, and eventually died by suicide alone in a strange land. Had he stayed at home and cultivated his own backyard, he would have had “acres of diamonds."

How often do individuals strive after so many things in life never to obtain what they went after. Too late they realize the important things in life were right at their hands - and they missed them. Salvation - nothing so important - and yet it is only when life is almost gone do they finally give it a thought. Children - God's greatest gifts - yet it is only when they are almost grown do we realize that we cannot have their young years back again. Our little holiness churches ever dwindling in size - yet if you were to ask the children that have grown and left they will tell you that they believe in the "old fashioned way" that was set before them. Family & friends, freedom to live and worship, prayer - all of such great importance and yet so often taken for granted and neglected. Lord, open our hearts to love and our eyes to see . . . the treasures in our own backyard. Posted by: Dad