Once upon a time there was a rich King who had four wives. He loved the fourth 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 third 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 second 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 first 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 will be all alone.”

Thus, he asked the fourth wife, “I have loved you the most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I am dying, will you follow me and keep me company?”

“No way!”, replied the fourth 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 third wife, “I have loved you all my life. Now that I’m dying, will you follow me and keep me company?”

“No!”, replied the third wife. “Life is too good! When you die, I am going to remarry!” His heart sank and turned cold.

He then asked the second wife, “I have always turned to you for help and you have always been there for me. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?”

“I am sorry, I cannot help you out this time!”, replied the second 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 will go with you. I will 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 too have four wives in our lives:

The fourth wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it is temporary and will be left behind

The third wife is our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, it will all go to others.

The second wife is our family and friends. No matter how much they have been there for us, the furthest they can go with us physically is to the grave.

And the first wife is the Spirit – often neglected in pursuit of wealth, power and pleasures of the world. Cultivate, strengthen and cherish it now for the state of the spirit is all that really matters. All else is secondary.

Author- Unknown

Why Leave Heaven for Earth?

In a small village, a young farmer was lost in thought as he watered his crops. He could not understand why children were born into this world if Heaven was immensely more beautiful.

“Leaving Heaven for Earth, why this retrogression,” he quietly asked .

The next day, as he planted corn seeds, a picture suddenly arose within him.

He paused … and then voiced a question, “could a man’s descent to Earth be likened to that of a corn seed into the soil?”

A corn seed has within it the potential to feed thousands but this potential cannot be realized until the seed journeys down beneath the soil. It needs this transition in order to develop all its innate qualities after which it rises as a plant bearing rich fruits and adding value to its environment.

Perhaps man too is an unconscious seed with bountiful potential prior to his descent to Earth and needs the experiences acquired while on Earth in order to develop his innate qualities. After which he rises from the Earth as a fully conscious human spirit able to actively participate in the joyful activities of Heaven.

“It must be so,” said the young farmer. He smiled at the simplicity of it all and was thankful for his new insight.

Birth and Death

In the belly of a pregnant woman were twin brothers, Mark and Matthew, in conversation.

Mark: Do you believe in life after birth?

Matthew: Certainly, perhaps we will run on our two feet and eat with our mouths

Mark: Run on our two feet, are you crazy? Eat with our mouths? The umbilical cord feeds us.

Matthew: There has to be something out there, I feel it. I just cannot explain it.

Mark: This is foolishness, childbirth ends all life.

Matthew: What about mother? There has to be a mother out there who will take care of us after birth. That proves there is life after birth.

Mark: Mother? What mother, do you see any mother? It is just you and I here.

Matthew: She is all around us, we live through her. Where do you think the umbilical cord comes from? When we are silent we sometimes hear her singing or feel her stroking our world.

Mark: You make a good point Mark, but I cannot be sure. No one has come back after birth to verify that there is a mother out there or life after birth.

……

This scene may seem silly to you, but is the question of whether there is life after birth essentially any different from asking whether there is life after death? Just as the fetus dwells in its mother’s womb, so do we currently dwell in a womb called earth. Just as a mother sustains the growing child in her womb, so does the power of the Creator sustain our life on the earth. The twins in their mother’s womb would hardly imagine the greater world awaiting them outside the womb. They would hardly imagine the abilities of their physical bodies that they are yet to fully develop and all the good things they can achieve. The same applies to us as we strut about in the limited space of earth, unaware of the abilities of the spirit that we are yet to develop fully.

The answers to the great questions of life need not be a mystery; they often lie amid our everyday experiences. As in little things on earth, so it is in the great world of spiritual events.