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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