|
Another gold standard
“Pure gold does not fear furnace.” - Chinese proverb The human race has not changed in many ways since ancient times, one of those ways being a love for gold. I thought about that when I saw Lebron James on television at an NCAA game wearing what looked to be 5 pounds of gold chains around his neck. Considering his NBA salary, most likely all that gold is the real stuff. If I were his mother I would worry that someone might mug him. Gold is becoming more precious as its value goes up. Recent increase in the price of gold has encouraged some people to sell unwanted jewelry. I have a damaged gold necklace that might bring a few dollars if I decide to sell it, but a scene I witnessed recently in a jewelry store makes me hesitant to do so. When I entered the store that day, I took my place in line behind a woman who stood with a sizable pile of jewelry heaped on the glass counter. The storeowner was going through the woman's pieces, item by item. I moved aside to see the transaction better and glean any useful information, since I was hoping to sell a few small pieces myself. Their conversation was audible as the jeweler sorted the pieces he would buy from the others of no value to him. He commented on his decision about each one. From her responses, I detected that the woman knew little about gold, about as much as I do. When the woman mentioned that a bracelet was tarnished, he condescendingly chuckled that gold would never turn into silver. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she put the bracelet back into her bag. Several items later I heard her say, “Oh, that's not real gold? I've always thought it was.” She frowned at the necklace as it went into the rejection pile, which grew much bigger than the sellable pile. Several more pieces turned out to be cheap gold overlay to the woman's continued surprise. I felt bad watching the woman squirm in discomfort, as her possessions were judged, so I walked away. Actually, I walked away and kept walking, out the door and to my car because I didn't have time to wait. That's what I told myself. Truthfully, I lost the courage to pull out my little Ziplock bag of jewelry box clutter to find out if I had anything of value. The whole experience had been unsettling. Sitting there in the car watching rain run down the windshield, I realized that what I had witnessed held huge implications for living this life. At the end of my life, everything will be dumped on the counter, so to speak. Just like that woman having to watch her pieces held up to the light and put under the magnifying glass, all the parts of my life will be under examination. What kind of person was this woman? More tragic than fake jewelry would be to find out that things I valued were worthless, that my investments were fake. I would not want to get to the end of my life and have to face truth. “Oh, that's not real? I've always thought it was . . .” An old poem turned song lyrics reads: “Only one life and it will soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.” Things done for Christ, in Him and through Him, will stand the test of fire. That's the gold that will not fear the furnace, or the Jeweler. Arlene Neal is a wife, mother of six children and a middle grades teacher with a Masters in Education from Appalachian State University. She lives in Granite Falls. Contact her by e-mail at nealies@hotmail.com.
|
