The Gold In the Box
The story was once told of a beggar who had been sitting on the side of a road for many years. One day, a passerby walked up to him and the beggar shook a cup calling, “Spare me some change.”
“I don’t have anything to give you,” the man replied. Feeling dejected by the answer, the beggar turned away mumbling something to himself.
The passerby was getting ready to walk away when he turned back around and asked, “By the way, what is that you’re sitting on?
“Nothing,” the beggar replied. “Nothing. Just an old box that I’ve had for many, many years.”
“Interesting,” the passerby said taking a step closer. “Have you ever thought to open it?” he asked.
“No. There’s nothing in there,” the beggar said frustratingly.
“Well, why don’t you take a look inside,” the passerby said.
After further prodding, the disgruntled old beggar got up off the box and flipped it open. To his own shock and amazement, he saw that the box he had in his possession for many, many years was filled to the brim with gold.
You see, sometimes we get caught up looking for things we already have and running after things that are currently in our possession. It’s not that we don’t have what we need or desire, oftentimes, we just haven’t taken the time to look at what we do have. The world is full of people who are searching. Some are spending their entire lives chasing after wealth, validation, love, belonging, and purpose. Sadly, they will never find exactly what they are looking for because it is still in the place they left it many, many years ago.
To find the gold in the box simply means to start being grateful in the here and now, for what we have in our possession. When we take a moment to open our eyes and our hearts to the joys and blessings that exist all around us, we find unexpected riches and solutions to problems we never knew were available to us. It isn’t that bad things are always happening; sometimes, it’s just that we fail to see the good things that are happening right before our eyes.
When we release ourselves from the addiction of wanting more, we open up the door for more of what we need and some of what we want to come into our lives. When we choose to realize what we have and be grateful for it, we will stand back, shocked and surprised, at the treasures, gold, and blessings that were sitting underneath us the whole time.
Image Credit: “The Beggar” by Artist Eugene James, Fine Art America
