The story is told how, as a boy, he worked long hours in a factory in Naples. He longed to be a singer. When ten years old, he took his first lesson in voice. ‘You can’t sing. You haven’t any voice at all. Your voice sounds like the wind in the shutters,’ said his teacher.

The boy’s mother, however, had visions of greatness for her son. She believed that he had a talent to sing. She was very poor. Putting her arms around him she encouragingly said, ‘My boy, I am going to make every sacrifice to pay for your voice lessons.’

Her confidence in him and constant encouragement paid off! That boy became one of the worlds greatest singers — Enrico Caruso!

Not many will become as famous as Caruso, but every one of us is given an opportunity to make something worthwhile out of our life and be equally rewarded. The important thing is not what we have or don’t have, but what we do with what we have. As the poet expressed it:

“Isn’t it strange that princes and kings

And clowns that caper in sawdust rings,

And common folks like you and me

All are builders for eternity.

“To each is given a book of rules,

A block of stone and a bag of tools;

And each must shape ‘ere time has flown,

A stumbling block or a stepping stone.”

With God’s help and using the gifts he has given to each of us — whether they be great or small — we, too can make something worthwhile out of our life. And when we do and come to the end of life’s journey, it will be worth it all when we hear the Saviour say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord.”

by Dick Innes, Daily Encounter www.actsweb.org/detoday . Used by permission.