A man and 4 wives
There was a rich
merchant who had 4 wives. He loved the 4th wife the
most and adorned her with > rich robes and treated her to
delicacies. He
took great care of her and gave her nothing but the best.
He also loved the 3rd wife very much. He's very proud of her and
always wanted to show her off to his friends. However, the
merchant is
always in great fear that she might run away with some other men.
He too, loved his 2nd wife. She is a very considerate person, always patient
and in fact is the merchant's confidante. Whenever the merchant faced
some problems, he always turned to his 2nd wife and she would
always
help him out and tide him through difficult times. Now, the
merchant's
1st wife is a very loyal partner and has made great contributions
in maintaining his wealth and business as well as taking care of the household.
However, the merchant did not love the first wife and although she loved him
deeply, he hardly took notice of her. One day, the merchant fell ill. Before
long, he knew that he was going to die soon. He thought of his luxurious life
and told > himself, "Now I have 4 wives with me. But when I die, I'll
be alone. How lonely I'll be!
Thus, he asked the 4th wife, "I loved you 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. The answer cut like a sharp knife right into the
merchant's heart. The sad merchant then asked the 3rd wife, "I have loved
you so much for all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me
company?" . "No!" replied the 3rd wife.
"Life is so good over here! I'm going to remarry when you die!"
The merchant's heart sank and turned cold. He then asked the 2nd
wife, "I always turned to you for help and you've always
helped me out.
Now I need your help again. 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 send you to your
grave." The answer came like a bolt of thunder and the merchant was
devastated.
Then a voice called out : "I'll
leave with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go." The merchant
looked up and there was his first wife. She was so skinny, almost like she
suffered from malnutrition. Greatly grieved, the merchant said, "I should
have taken much better care of you while I could have!"
Actually........................ we all have 4
wives in our lives ..... The 4th wife is
our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish > in making it look
good, it'll leave us when we die.
Our 3rd wife is our possessions, status and wealth. When we
die, they all go to others.
The 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how close they
had been there for us when we're alive, the
furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.
The 1st wife is in fact our soul, often neglected in our pursuit
of material wealth and sensual pleasure. Guess what? It is actually the only thing
that follows us wherever we go. Perhaps it's a good idea to cultivate and
strengthen it now rather than to wait until we're on our deathbed to lament > .......... Life is too short.
" As he came
forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall
take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand. Ecclesiastes
" A man [that hath] friends must shew
himself friendly: and there is a friend [that] sticketh
closer than a brother.Proverbs `18 : 24"
" The life is more than meat, and the body [is more] than raiment.Luke
" For he that soweth to his flesh
shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth
to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. Galatians 6 : 8 "