According to Greek mythology, Midas was a king who lived in Phrygia in
the eighth century B.C. He was very wealthy and had more gold than
anyone else in the world. He stored the yellow coins and bars in huge
vaults underneath his palace and spent many hours each day handling
and counting his treasure.
But no matter how much gold Midas collected and put into his vaults,
it was not enough. He always wanted more, and he spent much of his
time dreaming about how to obtain still more gold.
One day a being dressed in white appeared to Midas and granted him a
wish. The king instantly
wished for the "golden touch"—that everything he touched would turn to gold.
The next morning when Midas woke up, he found that his plain linen
bedcovers had been transformed into finely spun gold! He gasped with
astonishment and jumped out of bed. Then he touched the bedpost, and
it turned to gold. "It's true," he cried. "I have the golden touch!"
He rushed through the palace, brushing against walls and furniture
along the way, all of which turned to gold at his touch.
Out in the garden, he went from bush to bush, touching roses and other
flowers, smiling as they turned to gold.
But the Midas myth doesn't end here with everyone living happily ever after.
Finally, tiring from the excitement of touching various items and
seeing them turn into gold, Midas sat down to read while he waited for
breakfast. But the book he picked up immediately turned to gold. Then
when he tried to eat a peach, a spoonful of porridge, and a piece of
bread, they each turned into hard golden lumps! Even the water in his
cup turned to gold.
The king grew alarmed. "If even my food turns to gold, how will I ever
eat again?" he worried. Just then, Midas' only daughter, Aurelia, came
into the room. She ran to her father, threw her arms around him, and
kissed him. Much to Midas' horror, she grew strangely still and turned
from a loving, laughing little girl into a golden statue.
The king howled in anguish, overcome by the horror of what was
happening before his very eyes. He had gotten what be asked for, but
he suddenly realized he didn't want what he was getting.
The being dressed in white suddenly reappeared and asked, "Well, King
Midas, are you not the happiest of men?"
"Oh, no," moaned the king, "I am the most miserable of all creatures."
"What? Did I not grant your wish for the golden touch?"
"Yes, but it is a curse to me now," Midas wept. "All that I truly
loved is now lost to me."
"Do you mean to say that you would prefer a crust of bread or a cup of
water to the gift of the golden touch?" asked the glowing white being.
"Oh, yes!" Midas exclaimed. "I would give up all the gold in the world
if only my daughter was restored to me."
According to the myth, the being dressed in white told Midas to go
bathe in a certain spring of water that would wash
away his golden touch. He was also to bring back some of the water to
sprinkle on his daughter and any other objects he wished to change
back to their original form.
So the legendary King Midas gladly gave up his golden touch and
rejoiced in the restoration of the simple things of life—
family, food, and natural beauty. Midas realized that these are the
things that have greater value than gold.
The truth is, we do not live in a fairy-tale world. There is no Midas
touch or magical formula for material success. But there are
opportunities for those who are willing to be diligent and faithful in
the work of their mind and hands.
Proverbs 27:20 says: "A faithful man shall abound with blessings, but
he that makes haste to be rich shall not be innocent".
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