I have heard that when gold mines were discovered in Colorado (Boulder County) for the first time, the whole of America rushed there. News had spread that if you buy a piece of land you will find gold there. People started buying land in Colorado. A multimillionaire sold out his whole property and bought an entire hill in Colorado with the money. And he installed huge machines to mine gold. While small people were busy mining gold on their tiny bits of land, this man staked large scale mining on a whole mountain with the help of high technology.
He and his men worked hard, but there was no trace of gold. And then he panicked, because he had staked his entire fortune on this adventure. He was so much scared that he told his family that they were ruined. He had squandered his entire fortune and gold was nowhere to be seen. Then he advertised in the newspapers that he wanted to sell his hill, along with all the machines and instruments of mining. His family members said, ”But who is going to buy them? Everybody has come to know that the mountain has no gold and that you have wasted millions for nothing. He will be a madman who will agree to buy it.” But the man said, ”Who knows? There may be another like me.”
And a buyer really came forward. The multimillionaire felt like warning the person who had offered to buy his hill that he was in for a mad adventure. But he could not gather courage, because of the thought of the consequences if the hill was not sold. So the hill was at last sold. But after the deal was completed he told the buyer, ”You seem to be a real madman. Don’t you see that I am selling the hill after it has ruined me?” The other man said, ”You cannot say how life is going to be. Maybe there was no gold as far as you dug the hill, but how can you say that there is no gold even where you did not dig?” And the multimillionaire nodded his head saying, ”That I cannot say.” And the wonder happened, as it happens some times.
The gold mine was found just one foot below the surface where the previous owner had left off digging. The previous owner was now twice as miserable when he learned that the whole hill was full of gold. He visited the new owner and congratulated him on his good luck. But the man said, ”It is not a question of good luck. You did not give of yourself totally to it. You turned back before you had done enough digging. You should have gone deeper.”
Things like this happen every day in life. I know any number of people who go to find God – but they don’t go the whole length or they don’t give of them selves wholly to it, and face disappointment. Many times they miss the divine by just an inch; when God was only an inch away, they turned back. And at times I see clearly how a seeker turns back when he had almost made it.
He and his men worked hard, but there was no trace of gold. And then he panicked, because he had staked his entire fortune on this adventure. He was so much scared that he told his family that they were ruined. He had squandered his entire fortune and gold was nowhere to be seen. Then he advertised in the newspapers that he wanted to sell his hill, along with all the machines and instruments of mining. His family members said, ”But who is going to buy them? Everybody has come to know that the mountain has no gold and that you have wasted millions for nothing. He will be a madman who will agree to buy it.” But the man said, ”Who knows? There may be another like me.”
And a buyer really came forward. The multimillionaire felt like warning the person who had offered to buy his hill that he was in for a mad adventure. But he could not gather courage, because of the thought of the consequences if the hill was not sold. So the hill was at last sold. But after the deal was completed he told the buyer, ”You seem to be a real madman. Don’t you see that I am selling the hill after it has ruined me?” The other man said, ”You cannot say how life is going to be. Maybe there was no gold as far as you dug the hill, but how can you say that there is no gold even where you did not dig?” And the multimillionaire nodded his head saying, ”That I cannot say.” And the wonder happened, as it happens some times.
The gold mine was found just one foot below the surface where the previous owner had left off digging. The previous owner was now twice as miserable when he learned that the whole hill was full of gold. He visited the new owner and congratulated him on his good luck. But the man said, ”It is not a question of good luck. You did not give of yourself totally to it. You turned back before you had done enough digging. You should have gone deeper.”
Things like this happen every day in life. I know any number of people who go to find God – but they don’t go the whole length or they don’t give of them selves wholly to it, and face disappointment. Many times they miss the divine by just an inch; when God was only an inch away, they turned back. And at times I see clearly how a seeker turns back when he had almost made it.
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