[blockquote source=”Anthon St. Maarten”]Never surrender your hopes and dreams to the fateful limitations others have placed on their own lives. The vision of your true destiny does not reside within the blinkered outlook of the naysayers and the doom prophets.[/blockquote]

I read a most beautiful story the other day – about a poor shepherd boy, who wished only to share his heart with this world. But, try as he might, the villagers saw only a fool…

“You’re just a poor shepherd boy, what have you to give,” they laughed.

So, with calloused hands and empty heart, he resigned himself to the endlessness of the fields before him.

But, he had the love of his Master’s daughter…a beautiful young woman, who saw within him that which others could not yet see.

In the well-worn creases that ran the length of his furrowed brow, she saw a compassion greater than any she had ever known;

And, in those blood-stained wrappings that carefully covered his wounds…she saw the humility of a man who would gladly give to the needs of others before his own;

She saw the magnificence of his most beautiful human soul.

Oh, but when her father discovered her love for this boy – he forbade her from ever seeing him again.

“An illiterate shepherd…? What might the others think?” he scoffed.

But, like most rebellious teens – guess what? She married him anyway.

Her father was so enraged, that he stripped her of all entitlements of wealth – leaving her with nothing, but the love for this young man.

But, my dears…sometimes ‘just love’ is plenty enough.

Many years passed, as the beautiful woman stood loyally by her husband’s side – believing, in the destiny of those ‘much greater things. ‘

And do you know, this ‘poor illiterate fool’…he went on to become one of this world’s greatest spiritual scholars? Sharing the lesson that was needed most in this world….

An understanding of the richness of just being human.

And yet, even on his deathbed – he wished to give more.

“I have not lived a life like Moses,” he cried – fearing God’s judgement.

To which, his beautiful wife replied, “My dear, God will not judge Akiba for not being Moses. God will judge Akiba for not being Akiba.”

You see, my dears – we are born with just one spiritual obligation, that is…to be ourselves.

To measure our worth, in terms of fullness of heart…and not, against the ‘that which we don’t have’s.

Such that we may always know the riches of this just being human.

Namaste, and much love, my dears…