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Once upon a time there was a rich King who had four
wives.
He loved the 4th wife the most and adored 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 where ever
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.
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