The Touch of the Masters Hand

,

T’was battered and scarred, and the auctioneer
Thought it scarcely worth his while
To waste much time on the old violin,
But held it up with a smile.

"What am I bidden, good folks," he cried,
"Who’ll start the bidding for me?"
"A dollar, a dollar," then, two! Only two?
"Two dollars, and who’ll make it three?

"Three dollars, once; three dollars, twice;
Going for three . . . "But no,
From the room, far back, a grey haired man
Came forward and picked up the bow;

Then, wiping the dust from the old violin
And tightening the loose strings,
He played a melody pure and sweet
As a caroling angel sings.


The music ceased, and the auctioneer,
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said: "What am I bid for the old violin?"
And he held it up with the bow.

"A thousand dollars, and who’ll make it two?
Two thousand! And who’ll make it three?
Three thousand, once; three thousand, twice;
And going and gone," said he.

The people cheered, but some of them cried,
"We do not quite understand
What changed its worth?" Swift came the reply:
"The touch of a master’s hand."

And many a man with life out of tune,
And battered and scarred with sin,
Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd,
Much like the old violin.

A "mess of potage," a glass of wine;
A game, and he travels on.
He is "going" once, and "going" twice,
He’s "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’s wrought
By the touch of the Master’s hand.

--Myra Welsh



How many do we know including ourselves with our life not perfectly in tune. What is the only way we can play the melody we were meant to play. Only the Master can help us do that. And no person, no matter who they are, what they've done, or what scars they have from sin, is beyond help. Remember this the next time you sell someone short. One dollar once, then maybe two. Will you be one to stand and shout I'll gladly give much more!

Just a year ago
on December 25th
I sat alone in my room
convinced my life was over and done
and my dreams shattered like glass

"can I ever be whole again?"
I wondered, buried in my own despair.
I believed I wasn't worth the time of day
much less the love and friendship given me.

At first I was angry with my lot
why were people being nice to me?
couldn't they tell how low I was?
or what person I thought myself to be?

Then came a day that I found out
I should be happy!
I sang to myself and danced in the rain
and skipped for a whole week strait.

It took that God-given moment for me to know
That I was loved
and the worth of a soul is great
even mine,

(sorry for the attempt at poeticness)
It has been a whole year since I found out that I was not returning to BYU-Idaho, that I had officially flunked out of college, and I was at the lowest of lows.

A year later and I. . .
- Have successfully completed a semester at USU with a solid B GPA.
- Have amazing friends.
- Have read the Book of Mormon, and am now working on the New Testament
- Have gained a testimony in the Atonement and the love of God for me.
- Have tried to become a better person, (at least less angry)
- Am closer to my family
- Love myself for who I am, with the knowledge that I can and will improve
- AM HAPPY


P.S. I am preparing to serve a Mission. In 1 year from now, I am either turning in my mission papers, or I will have a ring on my left ring finger. One of those two, probably the former.