John Henry Beukema, pastor of Cypress Bible Church in Cypress, Texas, shares:

My father, Dr. Jack Beukema, had a diamond that was very valuable to him. It came to him 40 years ago when his parents died. My grandfather had given that diamond to my grandmother in an engagement ring. It's rather tiny, as diamonds go, and not at all perfect. My grandfather earned the money for the ring by doing hard labor in a stone quarry.

After my dad came into possession of the ring, he had a jeweler take the diamond from the setting and put it in a man's ring. My father wore that ring, with my grandmother's diamond, for nearly 20 years.

One night, after attending a conference in a city far from home, Dad went for a walk and was held up at gunpoint by two robbers. The crooks asked my father for his money, and he gave it to them, money clip and all. They asked for his watch, which had been an expensive gift from his older brother. Dad handed it over. Finally, they asked for his ring. Dad said, "You'll have to come and get it." It wasn't the monetary value of the ring, but the significance of it that motivated him to refuse.

Amazingly, they didn't shoot him. After hearing the story, the investigating officer called my dad, and I quote, "an idiot." He said, "You're lucky to be alive. The next time someone threatens you with a gun, give them everything they want."

That story makes me wonder … is there anything I possess that someone could only take by killing me? Is there anything I value more than my own life?