The Gift We Bring To God

"The gift of Bilqis was forty mules: their whole load consisted of bricks of gold.
When he reached the open plain belonging to Solomon, he saw that its carpet was made entirely of solid gold.
He rode on gold for the distance of forty miles, until gold had no more esteem in his sight.
A spacious land of which the soil is pure gold--to bring gold there as a gift is pure folly.
O you, who have brought intelligence to God as a gift, there intelligence has less value then the dust on the road...
When Solomon beheld that gift of gold, he laughed, saying, "When dd I seek riches from you?
I did not bid you to bestow gifts on me; no, I asked you to be worthy of the gifts which I bestow;
For I have rare gifts, coming from the Unseen, which human beings dare not even ask for.
You worship the (lucky) star that makes gold: turn you face towards the One who makes the star."

Rumi (Vol.4, 563-576)

Commentary: We can not hear this story often enough; those of us who believe that the way to God is through theology, insight, understanding, intelligence, and the brilliant work of the mind. My suspicion is that what we'll eventually bring to God, is our need, our contrite and broken hearts, our gratitude and our willingness to keep looking in the direction of the One who made the stars.