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[Mr. SmartyPants]

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 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.

Her answer cut like a sharp knife right into his heart.
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!"
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 so rry, I can't help you out this time!",
replied the 2nd wife.
"At the very most, I can only send you to your grave."
Her answer came like a bolt of lightning, and the King was
devastated.

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 so 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 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.
So cultivate, strengthen and cherish it now, for it is the only part
of us who will follow us to the throne of God and continue with us throughout Eternity and our next life.

When the world pushes you to your knees......you're in the
perfect position to pray.

[kaji]

That was a nice story Mr.SP

It kind of reminds me of the stories that my pastor tells to try and get his point across. Some times I think there must be a hand book that all pastors get when they are ordained. The hand book of 'relatible analogy stories.'

This story would fit in well. ^_^

-kaji

[KazuValis]

dude, that was deep. And it perfectly illustrates how many people all over the world, both rich and poor, screw themselves over all their life. *sighs* I wish I were not guilty of this occasionally myself....

[Kinkosami]

Very nice story, reminds me of the email chain letters I get all the time.

Thanks for sharing that with us Mr. SmartyPants, it was enjoyable.

[RoyalWing]

Thank you for posting that! I thought it was wonderful. ^-^

[Godly Paladin]

Intriguing...thanks for posting it.

[Nate]

That be good, sez I.

And I think we all learned a valuable lesson.

[Lunis]

That is a very good lesson. I think I'll save it to my computer.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

Very nice story, reminds me of the email chain letters I get all the time.

Thanks for sharing that with us Mr. SmartyPants, it was enjoyable.

lol it was a chain letter I got from a friend, well ti didn't say "Send this to 10 people" or whatever but it was forwarded a couple times

[Kawaiikneko]

I hate chain mail, but I've seen this before and liked it. Thanks for posting it so I could re-read it ^-^