WHAT IS THE REAL VALUE OF YOUR LIFE?

 

WHAT IS THE REAL VALUE OF YOUR LIFE?

An ancient story attributed to Sikh Guru Nanak Dev Ji

The grandfather handed a beautiful, shiny stone to his grandson and said to him: "I give you this precious stone, it's yours. Go and ask others how much it's worth, but don't sell it at any cost."

The young man took the stone to the fruit market and asked him what he thought the stone might be worth. After looking at it and evaluating it, the orange seller said: "It is only worth thirteen oranges, but if you agree to sell it to me, I will give you seventeen oranges."

Remembering his grandfather’s instruction, the young man refused to sell. After that, he went to the vegetable market, where after showing the vendor his stone, he asked what he thought its value might be. After examining it, the vegetable seller replied, "Take one sack of potatoes and give me the stone.”

Then the young man took his stone to the jeweler. Again, he asked the jeweler to estimate its worth. The jeweler examined the stone with a magnifying glass and said: "I will give you one million shillings if you agree to sell this stone to me." The young man looked at the jeweler in surprise and immediately the jeweler added, "Then listen, if you are not satisfied, let's exchange the stone for pure gold."

After the young man refused the jeweler’s offer and explained that his grandfather forbade him to sell the stone, he apologized and went to visit a shopkeeper that dealt in precious stones. After greeting the shopkeeper, the young man asked about the value of his stone. After the seller looked at it carefully, he realized that the stone was of great value and he became very excited, "My goodness! This stone cannot be valued, even if I sell everything I own in this world, I would not be able to buy this stone. It has value beyond measure.”

Confused by his experiences with each of the men who evaluated the stone, the young man returned to his grandfather and told him everything that had happened.

His grandfather explained, "My grandson, just as the answers you got from the fruit seller, the vegetable seller, the jeweler, and the dealer of precious stones, were all different, they all demonstrate their perception of the value of your life. Your life has extraordinary value, but people will only appreciate you based on their belief in you, their own attitudes, their own knowledge, their own understanding, and their own expectations of you. They value you based on their own motivation, their ambition, and their own risk-taking ability. Never fear! If you are patient in life, you will find someone who will recognize your true value and appreciate you for who you really are. You are a child of God. Respect yourself knowing how precious you are in the eyes of God. You should not sell your life or exchange it for anything because you are unique, one of a kind, and special, No one can replace you! There is no substitute for you. In all the world, there is no one like you!"