The King and His Four Wives

Some of you might know the parable or story of the king and his four wives. I only just heard this story the other day on my son’s Instagram. The story really moved me and made me think! Especially, in all of our lives currently. We all try so hard to prepare for the craziness this world is smothers us with but sometimes forget about the most important things.

I had never heard this story before, so I thought I would do my best to retell it. I will also share a link of the actually story. I think a little perspective can go a long with when it comes to reframing a thought and changing a heart.

Four Wives retold

There once was a king who was married to four wives. He had sadly became ill and knew he was going to cross over to the afterlife soon. The thought of going to afterlife alone frightened the king very much and he did not want to travel there alone. The ill king decided ask his fourth wife to go to the afterlife with him. It was the fourth wife that the king favored the most, and loved her the most over all his wives. The king loved the fourth wife so much that he showed her with diamonds, gold, and fancy fabrics to show he love for her.

So the king asked his beloved fourth wife if she would die with him and travel on to the afterlife with him? But the fourth wife said, no and walked away without hesitation.

The king also loved his third wife very much. He loved her so much in fact that he very much enjoyed showing her beauty off to all the other kingdoms near and far. The king decided he would go to his third wife and ask her to travel to the afterlife with him. But when the king asked the third wife to die with him and go to the afterlife, the third wife replied, that she loved her life far to much and that when the king was to passed away that she would remarry.

The king now very ill went to his second wife, who had always been there for him in his time of need, no matter the inconvenience. Any time of struggle or time of celebration his second wife never let the king down. The king asked the second wife to die with him and go to travel on to the afterlife with him. But the second wife said no, with sadness in her heart, she replied, that she wouldn’t be able to be there for her king this time, but she would plan a beautiful funeral would him and be there to morn him and celebrate his life.

A small voice called out to the king… I will come with you my king. Wherever you go, I go, even to the afterlife, I will follow you anywhere you go. The king so sick now that he could hardly move, struggle to turn to see it was his first wife calling to him. This was the wife he paid the least amount of attention to. The king looked at his first wife and said, I am ashamed and I should have taken better care of you when I was alive. I’m sorry.

The moral of the story

We all have four wives…

The fourth wife is our body. We decorate it but in the end it can not come with us.

The third wife is our possessions. It’s everything we collect, show off, but once we die it get divided. Like the wife said she would remarry.

The second wife is our friends and my family. They love us and are there us us, but can only be with us so far.

The first wife is our SOUL. The one thing that is always be with us and will follow us to the afterlife but is MOST neglected.

The story…

https://theflyingmantis.medium.com/king-and-his-4-wives-33099c834bce

SK