A perfect One...

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!