Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved,
a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of
truth.
Once upon a time there lived a great painter. His
paintings were liked by one and all. The King of the state had also honored him
with the state award for excellence.
The painter was known to all his fans as
"Rangacharya" [ which means as master of colors in Hindi ],
affectionately called as "Ranga Guruji". Ranga had developed a
distinct painting style over the years which was a testimony of his excellence
in this field. His hard work, commitment and dedication for the subject was an
example for many to follow.
Ranga had opened an Arts School where he use to teach the
finer aspect of his art to his chosen disciples. There was no fixed course
curriculum or duration at this school. Ranga use to declare a pupil qualified
in Arts only after he was fully satisfied about the skill & knowledge
acquired by him. He had devised his own methods of assessment, which were quite
unique like his style of painting.
Rajeev a student of Ranga's Arts School was a man in a
hurry. He had a gifted hand and had progressed much faster than the other
students through sheer hard work, dedication, and imagination. Ranga also was
very pleased with Rajeev's progress. Having earned lot of praise and
appreciation for his work, Rajeev was anxiously waiting for the day when Ranga
Guruji would declare him qualified and he could begin his journey as an artist.
One day, he very politely asked Ranga Guruji how soon he
would be able to take the final qualifying examination. Ranga smiled and said
" Rajeev, you are one of my most promising and favorite students. You have
done well in learning all aspects of the art of painting in a very short
period. I think it's time you should take the final test."
"Kindly advise me what is my test assignment, Guruji
?" it was difficult for Rajeev to hide his happiness and eagerness.
Ranga said " Rajeev , I want you to prepare a
painting, that could be termed as your best painting and which would win every
one's heart. Take your own time and create a real masterpiece."
Rajeev worked day and night for many days, prepared one
of his best paintings and submitted it to Ranga Guruji.
Ranga advised “Now, take it to the main square of the
town and put it on a public display. Let the people see your work. Write below
the painting in bold letters that the work is being displayed for public
evaluation and that the artist would feel obliged if any of the viewers could
point out any mistakes in the painting by putting a "X" mark on
it"
Rajeev did exactly as advised by Ranga Guruji. He
displayed the work at a prominent spot at the main square of the town with the
message for everyone to see.
A couple of days later Ranga asked Rajeev to get the
painting for assessment. Rajeev was very excited on his way to the main square,
but got very disappointed to find that the art work was badly defaced with
"X" marks all over it. His disqualification looked imminent as he
started for the school. Rajeev showed the painting to Guruji with a very heavy
heart. But Ranga was very calm and composed. He advised Rajeev not to get
disheartened and make another attempt.
Rajeev made another masterpiece and Ranga reiterated his
earlier instructions but with a little difference in the bottom line. This time
he asked Rajeev to also place a set of Paints and Brushes at the site. The
message requested the viewers to find mistakes and also correct them with the
help of the painting material.
A couple of days later when Rajeev reached the main
square to collect the painting, he was pleasantly surprised to find that not a
single mistake was found in his work as the painting material was lying in one
corner untouched. Rajeev was brimming with confidence and joy as he presented
the painting to his Guru. Ranga smiled again and said " Rajeev, your
training is complete in all respects now with the last lesson you have learned
today."
Rajeev was listening with great attention as Ranga
continued " My dear son, it is not enough to master the art alone, if you
aspire to attain greatness & excellence in this field. It is necessary for
you to also learn that people generally tend to be evaluative on the first
available opportunity even if they do not know anything about it. If you take
the world to be your judge, you would always be disappointed. People tend to
make judgments, pass remarks on others without any authenticity and
seriousness. People filled your first painting with "X" marks as they
had nothing at stake in doing so. Most of them were arguably not equipped with
the skill or knowledge to evaluate your work. But still they made ample use of
the opportunity that came their way. But when the same people were asked to not
only evaluate, find mistakes but also to correct them, none of them came
forward. This time their own knowledge & skills were at stake. They did not
dare to bare the lack of either of these. So they chose to stay away."
Ranga continued " So my dear boy, your work, your
skills, your knowledge, your investment in the field of Art is a precious
product of your hard work and sincere efforts. Do not offer it to the world for
free. It would otherwise be treated the way your first painting was
treated"
“Be your own judge and trade your virtues with the world
for an equitable and fair consideration. I assure you that you would never be
disappointed with yourself or your work."
“Last but not the least, it would also mean that you will
not be judgmental about other's work too!”
"May God bless you, my child!”
Rajeev had tears of respect & joy in his eyes. He
knew it deep in his heart that his training and education would have been
incomplete without this last lesson that he learned today.
Dear Lord, Help us to study hard and do our very best in
all that we do. Help us let You be the judge not those around us. In Jesus’
Name, Amen.
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