The Forgotten Wife
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ScribdTranslations- The Forgotten Wife
THE FORGOTTEN WIFE
An ancient story tells that once upon a time there was a king who had four wives. He loved his
fourth wife more than the others, adorned her with luxurious dresses and indulged her with the
finest delicacies. I only gave him the best. He also loved his third wife very much and always
showed her off in the neighboring kingdoms. However, he feared that someday she would leave
with someone else; his second wife he also loved because she was his confidant and was always
kind, considerate and patient with him. Whenever the king had a problem, he relied on her to help
him out of hard times, and the king's first wife was a very loyal companion and had made great
contributions to maintain both the wealth and the kingdom of the monarch. However, he did not
love his first wife, and although she loved him deeply, he hardly noticed her.
One day, the king became ill and realized he had little time left. He thought about his life of luxury
and reflected, "Now I have four wives with me, but when I die.... I will be alone!".
So he asked his fourth wife:
"I have loved you more than the others, I have endowed you with the finest garments and cared
for you with care. Now that I am dying... would you be willing to follow me and be my companion?
No way! replied the fourth wife, and walked away without another word.
His answer penetrated her heart like a sharp knife.
The saddened monarch asked his third wife:
I have loved you all my life. Now that I am dying, would you be willing to follow me and be my
companion? No!" His third wife replied. "Life is too good! When you die, I plan to remarry!" His
heart experienced a strong jolt and he became cold.
He then asked his second wife:
"I have always come to you for help and you have always been there for me. When I die, would
you be willing to follow me and be my companion?" "Sorry, I can't help you this time!" the second
wife replied. "The most I can do for you is bury you." His answer came like a thunderous flash of
lightning that devastated the king.
Then he heard a voice: "I will go with you and follow you wherever you go." The king looked in the
direction of the voice and there was his first wife. She looked so thin, she was suffering from
malnutrition.
Deeply affected, the monarch said, "I should have taken better care of you when I had the
opportunity to do so!"
We all have four wives in our lives. Our fourth wife is our body. No matter how much time and
effort we put into making it look good, it will leave us when we die.
Our third wife is our possessions, social status and wealth. When we die, they will go to others.
Our second wife is our family and friends. No matter how much they have supported us here, the
most they will be able to do is to accompany us to the grave.
And our first wife is the soul, often ignored in the pursuit of fortune, power and ego pleasures.
However, our soul is the only one that will accompany us wherever we go.
In the Bible, we find the parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12:13-1), a man who dedicated himself to
accumulate wealth and when he thought he could enjoy it, he died. I had never spent time on
what was truly valuable. We spend time on our body, possessions and family but forget our soul.
"And what benefit do you get if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is there
anything worth more than your soul?"
Matthew 16: 26 (NTV)
It is not wrong to give time to other areas of our life, but do not neglect what is really important,
do not leave aside your soul, it is the most valuable thing you have and it is the only one that will
survive this earthly plane and will accompany you to eternity. Take care of it, cultivate your
relationship with God. When the time comes to leave, you will not regret not having dedicated
more time to it.
