parable of the 4 boyfriends

Hello,

I just got this parable from a friend in my email.  It is long but well worth the reading.  Hope you enjoy!!!!!!

Parable of the 4 Boyfriends

-Once upon a time there was a girl who had four boyfriends.   She loved the fourth boyfriend the most and adorned him with rich robes and treated him to the finest of delicacies. She gave him nothing but the best.

 She also loved the third boyfriend very much and was always showing him off to neighboring kingdoms. However, she feared that one day he would leave her for another.

 She also loved her second boyfriend. He was her confident and was always kind, considerate and patient with her. Whenever this girl faced a new problem, she could confide in him, and he would help her get through the difficult times.

 The girl's first boyfriend was a very loyal partner and had made great contributions in maintaining her wealth and kingdom. However, she did not love the first boyfriend. Although he loved her deeply, she hardly took notice of him!

 One day, the girl fell ill and she knew her time was short. She thought of her luxurious life and wondered, 'I now have four boyfriends with me, but when I die, I'll be all alone.

 Thus, she asked the fourth boyfriend, '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 fourth boyfriend, and he walked away without another word.  His answer cut like a sharp knife right into her heart.

 The sad girl then asked the third boyfriend, 'I loved you all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?'  'No!', replied the third boyfriend. 'Life is too good! When you die, I'm going to marry someone else!' Her heart sank and turned cold.

 She then asked the second boyfriend, '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 second boyfriend.. 'At the very most, I can only walk with you to your grave.'    His answer struck her like a bolt of lightning, and the girl was devastated.

 Then a voice called out: 'I'll go with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go.' The girl looked up, and there was her first boyfriend. He was very skinny as he had suffered from malnutrition and neglect.   Greatly grieved, the girl said, 'I should have taken much better care of you when I had the chance!'

 In truth, you have four boyfriends in your lives:

 Your fourth boyfriend is your body. No matter how much time and effort you lavish in making it look good, it will leave you when you die.  

Your third boyfriend is your status, wealth and possessions. When you die, it will all go to others.

 Your second boyfriend is your family and friends.. No matter how much they have been there for you, the furthest they can stay by you is up to the grave. 

 And your first boyfriend is your spirit.  The spirit often neglected, in pursuit of wealth, power and pleasures of the world.   However, your spirit is the only thing that will follow you where ever

you go. Cultivate, strengthen and cherish it now, for it is the only part of you that will follow you to the throne of God and continue with you throughout Eternity.

Thoughts 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.

Lessons from Job 33 and Isaiah 45

Since moving back home, I have gone back to my old church. I have absolutely loved it! In Sunday School we studied out of Priscilla Shirer's book "Discerning the Voice of God" when I first returned.  All I can say is wow!

Job 33 says; "He speaks in dreams, in visions of the night when deep sleep falls on people as they lie in bed. He whispers in their ear and terrifies them with His warning. He causes them to change their minds; He keeps them from pride...."

Is. 45 says; "I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness - secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, the One who calls you by name."
These verses really made an impact on me. When I first moved back, I became so distressed because I was afraid that I had missed God's will for my life. You see, when I moved to Richmond, I felt like God told me that I would never return. Yet, here I was moving back. This verse in Job made me realize that it wasn't up to me to find God's will. It is God's responsibility to reveal His will to me, if I wasn't already fulfilling it. If I was out of His will then He would have to reveal that to me. . . Once He reveals it, then it is my responsibility to fix it... Since He hadn't revealed that I was out of His will, then there was nothing to fix and I could rest in the fact that I was in a right standing with God.

To go along with that same verse, it also takes the pressure away from me in another area. I do good about my eating most of the time, but certain stressors cause my eating to get out of hand. I have beat myself up for years. I couldn't understand why I couldn't find victory in this area of my life! This verse has taken the condemnation away. It is God's responsibility to change my mind toward food. I understand that once He changes my mind toward food, it is my responsibility to cooperate with Him in this endeavor....   [I found out this summer that I am allergic to corn, fish, flaxseed, and now fresh pineapple.  I lost 5 to 10 pounds in a short amount of time, then suddenly stopped losing even though I was doing a lot of right things.  In the past month they found huge nodules on my thyroid!  At first they were testing for cancer.  I know for sure that the right side is cancer free.  Part of my inability to lose weight may be due to thyroid!  BUT, that is not why I am mentioning all of this....  At first, it was very difficult to walk past all the good things I loved.  Now, just 7 months since the food allergies were discovered, I noticed the other day that it doesn't bother me at all to walk past the doughnuts, cookies, breads, cereals, etc.  You see, in a very short amount of time I went from feeling like my time was very short in this life to feeling like a normal human being again!  I've heard many people say that they would rather die than give up corn....  But, they would do it if it was the difference between feeling good and feeling like you are dying!!!  The point of this is to say, God can change your mind, without you even realizing it at first.  How cool is that!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

The last one in Isaiah, reminds me that God has unexpected treasures to give me... These are treasures that I need, want, and treasures that I would've never imagined! He has riches unspeakable. This isn't just money. These riches may be a friend, a needed word, a feeling of belonging and of worth, etc. Whatever they may be, they are there waiting for the right time. They will come unexpectedly and from sources that we never thought of.

Wow, what an awesome God we serve!!! Thank You Jesus!!!!!!!