Life is the Only Wealth

The question was “What do YOU THINK is meant by the phrase Apollo says to Midas Life is the only wealth? What values would make you wealthy?”

The one response that stood out from the rest…..

In the story, Apollo told Midas that life is the only wealth, meaning there is nothing greater or more wonderful than life itself. You don’t need gold or riches to have a great life, for life itself is the only wealth. You can find your own wealth, riches and treasures in the life that you live every-day. In the story, Midas considered gold as his only wealth. To him, having a lot of gold made him wealthy. He didn’t know that his life was a wealth. Without life, he was nothing. His life is what made him rich and wealthy. Midas thought that gold should only be given to the rich and important people.
When I read the story of “Midas” and finished, I knew that I had really learned something valuable. It is true that life itself is the only wealth. To some other people, they might value and consider other things as their wealth in life. To me, my life was a gift given to me by God and what I do with my life is my gift to God. At this age, I might consider other things as my wealth in life, but so far I only have one thing that I consider as my most greatest wealth in life. That wealth is God. To me, knowing God and knowing that he died to save me is like having all the riches in the world. To me I don’t need gold or riches to keep me full of gold and an empty heart is nothing but a worthless life. We should all know that we were brought into this world with a purpose. We each have our lives to live to the fullest. We have to make use of the short time that we are given to live our lives. Accomplish all that we need to accomplish in life and know that life is a gift and a wealth that can only been seen as it if you look at it as a gift from above. Put God first in your life. Let him show you the way. And in that way, you can see that life is the only wealth in just a blink of an eye.

~Teresita Laarwon

My response….

Teresita ~ you are wise beyond your years. What you have so beautifully written about at the age of 15, most people don’t learn in a lifetime. You have a very special gift. I look at you and all I see is “wealth”… and because you are so filled with His wealth, you in turn make others “wealthy” by showing them His face…. “The Kingdom of God is within YOU”… This was the best essay that I have read. AWESOME doesn’t begin to describe it. I hope you continue to write with this passion and I hope you don’t mind if I share it with the class….

I wish that I could take credit….I wish I could say that I spent a whole lesson on teaching my freshman how life is truly the only wealth and that these words are the combined result of my articulate presentation and their captivated absorption. However, their thoughts and ideas come from none other than their mature interpretation. I simply extracted one line of a Greek myth and posed the question. What this girl has so beautifully articulated at the age of 15, some people never learn, never appreciate and never devote themselves to discovering, or reciprocating. These kids are amazing. There is so much beauty, so much talent and so much life within them. Whether it is a passion for life, an incredible aptitude for music or a magnetic personality, they are so filled with an abundance of gifts. Where do I fit in the process of reciprocity?