'Twas battered and scarred,
And the auctioneer thought it
hardly worth his while
To waste his time on the old violin,
but he held it up with a smile.
"What
am I bid, good people", he
cried,
"Who starts the bidding for
me?"
"One dollar, one dollar, Do I
hear two?"
"Two dollars, who makes it
three?"
"Three dollars once, three
dollars twice, going for three,"
But,
No,
From the room far back a gray bearded
man
Came forward and picked up the bow,
Then wiping the dust from the old
violin
And tightening up the strings,
He played a melody, pure and sweet
As sweet as the angel sings.
The
music ceased and the auctioneer
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said "What now am I bid for this
old violin?"
As he held it aloft with its' bow.
"One
thousand, one thousand, Do I hear
two?"
"Two thousand, Who makes it
three?"
"Three thousand once, three
thousand twice,
Going and gone", said he.
The
audience cheered,
But some of them cried,
"We just don't understand."
"What changed its' worth?"
Swift came the reply.
"The Touch of the Masters
Hand."
And
many a man with life out of tune
All battered with bourbon and gin
Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless
crowd
Much like that old violin
A
mess of pottage, a glass of wine,
A game and he travels on.
He is going once, he is going twice,
He is going and almost gone.
But
the Master comes,
And the foolish crowd never can quite
understand,
The worth of a soul and the change
that is wrought
By the Touch of the Masters' Hand.
Myra Brooks Welch
Moses 1:39 reads "For behold, this is my work and my glory - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." Our Heavenly Father loves each and every one of us. We are His beloved sons and daughters. Because He loves us so much, He provided us a way to become like Him and return to live with Him forever in His glory. That way is through Jesus Christ.
The Lord has also given us a commandment in Matthew 5:48: "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." What an overwhelming and seemingly impossible commandment this is. I am easily discouraged when I try to align myself with the qualifications of "perfect." I'm not there, I'm not even close to being there, and I never can get there by myself.
But then I think of the words in the poem "The Touch of the Master's Hand." The Lord knows we can't be perfect on our own. I often feel like that broken, battered violin, of little value or worth. Our own potential can sometimes be very difficult to see and cannot be fully reached on our own. That is where the Master, Jesus Christ, comes in.
The only way we can reach our full potential in this life is by turning our faults and our troubles to the Lord. He knows us. He's been where we have been. He knows what it will take for each of us to become as He is.
I know the Savior loves each of us and I know His Atonement is real. As we exercise faith in Him and are obedient to His commandments, He will show us our true worth and help us reach our greatest potential as sons and daughters of God.
Doctrine and Covenants 18:10: "Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God;"
