Only You

There once lived a king, but he was not just any king. He was one of those kings who was so important, so powerful that history books will talk about him forever. This king ruled an area bigger than the land we now call America. His territory extended from sea to sea, across mountain ranges and deserts, through the jungle. No one knows how many subjects he had, because there were too many to count. People used to say that if you put all his money together, in one place, it would fill the oceans.

This king was the most powerful man the world had ever seen. Anything he commanded happened instantly. They tell the story that one time in the middle of winter, the king was craving mangoes. But, it was winter, and as you know the trees only give mangoes in the summer. But, this king was so powerful that when the mango trees heard he wanted their fruit, they began to produce huge, beautiful mangoes (which of course were covered with snow because it was winter). But, the snow was washed off, and the king had sweet mango in December.

Being such a powerful king, of such a large region, he had to travel quite a bit. And travel in those days was not as easy as it is to-day. There were no trains or airplanes. The king traveled by carriage, or it is more correct to say, he traveled with an army of carriages. And, because travel was so slow and difficult he was frequently gone for long periods of time.

One time, he had been away for many months, visiting the farthest reaches of his kingdom, ensuring that everyone was happy, that everyone was taken care of For, even though he was so rich and so powerful and had more subjects and money than one could count, he had a very pure heart and was very dedicated to all of his subjects.

When he was about to return home, he sent letters to all of his queens (in those days kings had many, many queens). In the letters he asked if there was anything they would like, any special gift he could bring them from far away. Of course, he always returned with carriages collapsing under the weight of so many gifts for his family, but he wanted to know if they had any special requests.

Each queen sent a list back to the king. "Bring me silk sarees, lined with gold ... bring me diamonds, fresh out of the Earth .... bring me pearls from the depths of the sea ...... However, while all of the other queens sent long lists, one queen sent only a piece of paper with " I " written on it. The king was baffled (for even though he was very pure and very devoted, he was not always very smart). He turned to his chief minister and said, " This queen is stupid. I knew when I married her that she was stupid. Everyone else sent a list of gifts they want. This queen writes only '1' on the paper. What is '1'?"

The chief minister was very wise; he was a true man of God, and he could see people's hearts. He lay his hand on the king's shoulder. "No, no." He said. " The '1' means 'only you.' She is saying that she only wants you. Every one else wants jewels and sarees and silks. When this queen writes '1' she is saying that you are number one. That you are all she wants. If you are there, with her, everything is there. In your presence, she wants nothing, needs nothing. And if you are not there, nothing can fill the hole left by your absence - not sarees, not diamonds, not jewels. If you are not there for whom will she wear the sarees? For whom will she wear the silks, the diamonds? What is the point of all these things if you are not there? Where you are, everything is. So, she wants you to bring yourself to her, and nothing else."

The king was in silence. 'Oh," he whispered, trembling. For now he understood. His whole life people had wanted him for what he had, for what he could do for them, what he could bring to them. He could bring wealth, he could bring possessions, he could bring health (for he had all the best doctors), he could bring grace and blessings (in those days, people believed that kings carried divine powers). But, no one had ever wanted only him, just for him. No one had ever wanted only his presence, even if it carried none of the other gifts.

Immediately, he sent his servants to fill the orders on the lists sent

by the other queens; he sent his messengers to deliver those orders. And he, himself, went to the queen. When he saw her, his eyes locked with hers. Their tears seemed to flow together. Their souls seemed to embrace, although their bodies were still many feet apart. He moved slowly, almost as though floating, toward her. And he took her in his arms and held her. "You are the only one who has ever really loved me. The others thought they loved me. But they loved me for what l brought to them. They loved me for how they felt when they were with me, They loved me for what I symbolized. And you love me only for me.

And the king stayed there, forever, with the queen. Because of its purity, their love just grew and grew, and it showered everything near them with light and joy. Everything in their presence flourished and blossomed. People talked far and wide about how the flowers in their garden were brighter, bigger, more alive than flowers anywhere else, How the birds all seemed to stay close to the castle; even in winter when all the other birds flew to warmer ground and the land become silent, the birds at this castle stayed, and sang their blissful songs all year long; how even on cloudy days, there was always a break in the clouds big enough to ensure that the sun could shine on this castle.

And the king became even more rich, and even more powerful - although if you asked him, he would not have even noticed; he was too busy serving his subjects, serving God and loving his queen. And their love and light was so strong that it radiated to the farthest reaches of the kingdom, bringing joy and peace to all the creatures of the land, from sea to sea, across mountain ranges and deserts, through the jungles.

So many times we become completely convinced that having this or doing that or going there will bring us happiness. "If only I had more of this," we say. Children are famous for this, but perhaps they are actually only more vocal. We watch TV, we see movies, we see advertisements. The message in all of these is "Buy this, and then you will be happy." Sure the "happiness" takes different forms: some products bring happiness through beauty, others bring it through success, others bring it through the right foods. But, the message is the same: own this and you will be happy.

God is kind; God is giving. And we are His children. So, naturally,

He will frequently give us what we ask for. But, when we ask for these things, aren't we saying to God "I don't really need you, I only need this possession? Your only purpose is to bring me the possession." If, however, we have God in our lives, we have everything. Do you think that when the King himself goes to the queen's palace, all his messengers and servants, all his possessions don't come with him? Of course they do. Everything goes with the king. Where the king is, everything is.

God is the supreme king. The king of our lives. Where He is, everything is. Let us not lose sight of what it is we really need to be happy.