The King With
Four Wives
Once upon a time there
was a King who had four wives.
He loved the 4th
wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to the finest
of delicacies. He gave her nothing but the best.
He also loved the
3rd wife very much. He was always showing her off to neighboring kingdoms.
However, he feared that one day she would leave him for another.
He also loved his
2nd wife. She was his confidant and was always kind, considerate and patient
with him. Whenever the King faced a problem, he could confide in her, and
she would help him get through the difficult times.
The King's 1st wife,
whom he did not love, was a very loyal partner and had made great contributions
in maintaining his wealth and kingdom. Although she loved him deeply, he
hardly took notice of her.
One day, the King
fell ill and he knew his time was short. He thought of his life and wondered,
"I now have four wives with me, but when I die, I'll be all alone."
Thus, he asked the
4th wife, "I have loved you the most, endowed you with the finest clothing
and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me
and keep me company ?"
No way !", replied
the 4th wife, and she walked away without another
word.
The sad King then
asked the 3rd wife, "I have loved you all my life. Now that I'm dying,
will you follow me and keep me company ?"
No !", replied the
3rd wife. "Life is too good ! When you die, I'm going to remarry
!"
He then asked the
2nd wife, "I have always turned to you for help and you've always been
there for me. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company ?"
I'm sorry, I can't
help you out this time ! I can see you to your grave."
Then a voice called
out: "I'll leave with you and follow you no matter where you go."
The King looked up,
and there was his first wife. She was very thin as she suffered from
malnutrition and neglect.
Greatly grieved,
the King said, "I should have taken much better care of you when I had
the chance !"
In truth, we all
have 4 wives in our lives:
Our 4th wife is our
body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good,
it will leave us when we die.
Our 3rd wife is our
possessions, status and wealth. When we die, it will all go to others.
Our 2nd wife is our
family and friends. No matter how much they have been there for us, the
furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.
And our 1st wife
is our Soul. Often neglected in pursuit of wealth, power and pleasures
of the world. However, our Soul is the only thing that will follow
us wherever we go. Cultivate, strengthen and cherish it now, for it is
the only part of us that will follow us to the throne of God and continue
with us throughout Eternity.
When the world pushes
you to your knees.....You're in the perfect position to pray.
Author: Unknown
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