In 1911, a man named William Rathvon, wrote a little tale that holds as much light today as it did more than a century ago. Titled “The Devil’s Auction”, it has been reprinted many times, including on page 17 of the January, 1952 issue of Guideposts Magazine.
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It was once announced that the Devil was going out of business and would offer his tools for sale to whoever would pay his price. On the night of the sale, they were all attractively displayed, and a bad -looking lot they were. Malice, envy, hatred, jealously, carnality, deceit, and all the other implements of evil were spread out, each marked with its price. Apart from the rest lay a harmless looking ,wedge-shaped tool ,much worn and priced higher than the others. Someone asked the Devil what it was,
“That’s discouragement ,” was the reply.
“Well ,why so you have it priced so high?”
“Because ,” replied the Devil, “it is more useful to me than any of the others. I can pry open and get inside a man’s consciousness with that when I couldn’t get near him with any of the others. And once inside, I can use him in whatever way suits me best. It is so much worn because I use it with nearly everybody, as very few people yet know that it belongs to me.”
“You say you use this wedge of discouragement with nearly everybody. With whom can’t you use it.?”
The Devil hesitated a long time and finally said in a low voice, “I can’t use it in getting into the consciousness of grateful men and women.”
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