The parable below is one that is likely familiar to most. I recently read it as part of the Abundance Challenge in which we were asked to explain what it means to us. I would like to know what it means to you in the comments.
PARABLE – This Too Shall Pass.
There was a king who once said to his court sages “I have a ring with one of the finest diamonds in the world and I want to hide a message under the stone that can be useful in a situation of extreme despair. I will give this ring to my heirs and I want it to serve faithfully. Think of what kind of message will be there. It must be very short to fit in the ring.”
The sages knew how to write treatises, but did not express themselves in one short sentences. They thought and thought, but couldn’t come up with anything.
The king complained about the failure of his venture to a faithful old servant who had raised him from infancy and was part of the family. This old man said to him:
*”I’m not a sage. I’m not educated, but I do know such a message. During the many years spent in the palace, I’ve met a lot of people and once I served a visiting mystic, whom your father knew well. He gave me this message; just don’t read it…save it and open it only when there’s no way out at all.”*
The king listened to the old servant and hadn’t looked at the message.
After some time, the enemies attacked the king’s country and the king lost the war. He fled on his horse and enemies pursued him. He was alone while there were many of them. He drove to the end of the road. There was a huge, deep cliff before him. If he fell there, it would be the end. He could not go back. The enemies were approaching. He could hear the clatter of their horses’ hooves. He had no way out. He was in complete despair.
He then remembered the ring. He opened it and under the stone found an inscription: *“This too shall pass.”*
After reading the message everything became quiet. Apparently the pursuers got lost and proceeded in the wrong direction. The horses were no longer heard.
The king was filled with gratitude to the servant and the unknown mystic. He closed the ring and hit the road. He gathered his army and returned to his state.
On the day when he returned to the palace, his subjects arranged a magnificent celebration; a feast enough for the whole world, for the people loved their king. The king was happy and proud.
The old servant came up to him and said softly,
“Even in this moment look at the message.”
“No, I am a winner. People are celebrating my return. I’m not in despair, not in a hopeless situation,” the king said.
“Listen,” the old servant said again. “The message works not only in moments when everything is bad, but also in moments of victory.”
The king opened the ring and read,
*”This too shall pass.”*
Again he felt a silence fall over him, although he was in the midst of a noisy dancing crowd. His pride dissolved. He understood the message.
And then the old man said, “Do you remember everything that happened to you? Nothing and no feeling is permanent. As night changes to day, so do moments of joy and despair replace each other. Accept them as the nature of things, as part of life.”
Photo: MsThorns
Powered by Soul 