The expression “Three Feet From Gold” stems from a true story during the California Gold Rush era. It recounts the tale of a man who purchased a gold mine and started digging. After a period of digging without finding any gold, the prospector became discouraged and sold the mine to someone else. The subsequent owner resumed digging and eventually found an abundance of gold, turning the mine into a highly profitable venture.
This story can serve as a metaphor for our life of faith. Indeed, when we follow Jesus, there are times when we can feel discouraged, frustrated, or even ready to give up. There are moments when our prayers aren’t answered immediately, causing us to question whether God is near.
However, these moments may be the critical junctures where the answer to our supplications is just within our grasp. Difficulties and obstacles are often temporary and can be overcome with determination and perseverance. By maintaining a positive mindset and a strong faith we can push through challenges and see God at work.
This story also emphasizes the importance of learning from obstacles and failures when it comes to evangelization. Instead of letting setbacks discourage us, we can embrace them as valuable lessons. Every challenge we face provides us with valuable knowledge and experience that we can use to bring others closer to Christ.
Overall the story of “Three Feet From Gold” reminds us of the importance of trusting God, persevering through difficult times, and learning from the obstacles we face. It shows us that even in moments of discouragement and setbacks, the answers and blessings we seek may be much closer than we think. Let us demonstrate renewed faith in God’s grace and power, persevering in prayer to overcome adversity and fulfill our purpose of guiding others to Christ.
Pierre-Alain Giffard
Director of Pastoral Work
Other articles on evangelization and parish revitalization:
- Spreading the Gospel One Act at a Time
- Gather, Witness and Invite
- Prayer to Receive the Spiritual Gifts of The Holy Spirit
- The Language of Evangelization
- Key Factors for Parish Growth According to Rich Birch
- How to defeat Satan?
- Bringing Love, Hope and Healing Through the Gospel
- Love: Our Fundamental Vocation
- Touched by the Master
- A Man, a Dog, and the Ultimate Love
- The essence of evangelization: Loving God and our neighbours
- Loving Our Enemies and Reconciling with Others
- A Powerful Prayer for Healing: You Are The LORD Who Heals Me
- Living a Life of Love: Mother Teresa’s Legacy
- Living a Life of Love: Lessons from the New Testament
- In The Shadows Of Darkness, A Powerful Force Is At Work
- 19 Pastoral Orientations for Parish Renewal and Growth
- The Missionary Renewal of Catechesis
- Characteristics of missionary parishes
- Powerful healing prayer attributed to St. Padre Pio
- We are called to share our faith with others
- Should we seek to grow the Church?
- Find a Need and Fill It – Revealing God’s Heart in the Community
- 15 Habits to Evangelize on a Daily Basis
- The Church’s Mission
- Three Barriers to Building An Invitational Culture In Your Parish
- The Relational Evangelizer
- Doing Church at Home
- The Blind Girl
- A Group of Frogs
- The Elephant Rope
- A Shared Faith is a Growing Faith
- In The Shoes Of The Unchurched
- Parish Evangelizing Cells
- Six Unique Features of Missional Parishes
- Steps Towards Becoming A Missional Parish
- What Is Evangelization, And How Should It Be Carried Out?
- Discussion And Self-Assessment Questions For Parish Evangelization
- A Missional Church Is A Church That Prays
- The Jesus Prayer: A Method To Pray At All Times
- What can help children raised Catholic continue practicing the faith as adults?
- An Example of a Missionary Parish: Phoenix First Assembly of God
- Satan’s Tactics
- Learning to Be a Missionary
- When we cry out to God, he answers
- Presence and Proclamation
- Saving those who are lost
- Saint-Nazaire Parish: The story of a missionary transformation
- Small Groups and Evangelization
- Evangelizing By Inviting People To Receive Jesus As Lord And Saviour
- You Will Receive Power…
- Have You Heard About the Law of Three Hearings and Seven Touches?
- Three Habits of a Fruitful Christian Life
