Once upon a time there was a rich 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 and 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 was a very loyal partner and had
made great
contributions in maintaining his wealth and kingdom.
However, he did
not love the first wife. 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 luxurious 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 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. Her answer cut like a sharp knife right into
his heart.
The sad King then asked the 3rd wife, "I 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!" His
heart sank and
turned cold.
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", replied the 2nd wife. "At the very most,
I can only walk
with you to your grave." Her answer struck him like
a bolt of
lightning, and the King was devastated.
Then a voice called out: "I'll go
with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go."
The King looked
up, and there was his first wife. She was very
skinny 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 the 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.
Thought for the day:
Remember, when the world pushes you
to your knees, you're in the perfect position to
pray.
Being happy doesn't mean
> everything's perfect.
> It means you've decided to see beyond the
> imperfections
Subject: The 4 Wives in our Life 
Thu Jan 31, 2008 3:03 pm
