Rich King, Poor King

Long ago in a kingdom far from the civilized world lived a rich King with bounty that He longed to share. He had everything—ideas, a plan for the present and future, amazing truths to live a life of meaning and fulfillment, physical and spiritual abundance, a desire for love and connection, a giving spirit, and a vision of peace and harmony.

The one thing the King did not possess was a kingdom of followers until He went out to seek those who were willing to accept Him even if He did not reveal the details of His plan in full. The King desired a loyal following to help spread His ideas. One of His founding principles was that whatever we have, if we do not desire to give it away, its meaning languishes, for only what we give to others can we expand for ourselves. The King’s gifts included love, wisdom, gratitude, unselfishness, trustworthiness, and compassion. So when He gave love, the love would be returned.  When He showered others with wisdom, He expected the wisdom to circulate far and wide.

The King foresaw a world where these gifts were shared by all as a result of the willingness of the people to give freely. This required His followers to connect to Him, as only He knew how to properly nurture these gifts. Only He held the secrets—the Principles—that He longed to teach His followers. As rich as the King was from the inspiration and desire that filled Him up, He knew that motivation could not last without appropriate action, so He went on an intense search for followers who were willing to listen to Him.

The King presented Himself in a glorious manner. He made known to all that He had rewards for those who possessed the desire to be led by Him. Being that He was not a despot, His ways did not include oppression or forcing compliance. He wanted His followers to be loyal to Him because they believed in Him and, over time, they would believe in themselves through Him. Most groups that He approached, however, were reluctant and skeptical because they were not presented with the precise manner in which the King’s plan would be carried out. They did not accept Him on blind faith, trusting that He knew how to create a life of meaning and happiness for all those who invested in Him.

Only one small group was enticed by His magnanimous ways, His love, and His sincerity. This small group of seemingly devoted listeners felt a connection to Him and accepted Him as their King. They said “Yes” to Him with faith and trust. Then He realized that many of his seemingly loyal followers had doubts about whether they could represent Him properly, whether they could carry out His plan, and whether they could emulate Him. They doubted themselves. The loving King realized at once that He could not let this opportunity to be a Giver pass Him by. He then resorted to a little pressure for the good of His kingdom, and the majority acquiesced, some of them with fear of His power. At least, thought the King, “I have a kingdom of subjects. Perhaps one day they will learn to love me as I love them.”

Many years passed, and the rich King retained His desire to give true pleasure to His loyal followers who committed to stay close to Him by way of some physical actions imbued with spiritual energies. There was just one problem. A great number of His followers started to move in different directions, no longer attaching themselves to the King by way of the physical actions that they did not comprehend. The King explained that these actions (things they were to do and things from which they were to abstain) were capable of uplifting the world. The energy that was derived from these actions produced physical and emotional health because they aligned the people with their King. Some of the followers understood this concept and continued to comply. However, some performed as the King instructed, but only out of habit, rote and repetition. The actions were devoid of feeling—of devotion and dedication. The love and the desire to stay close to the King faded for some. How could this happen? The King continued giving but experienced less and less gratitude as time went by.

Some of His once-loyal subjects simply felt they did not need a King. They felt perfectly capable of going it alone and creating their own form of short-lived happiness that would soon leave them feeling dissatisfied and wanting more. Nothing was ever enough. This scenario took a toll on all the people—His loyal subjects, the drifters, and those who declared a type of mutiny whereby they rejected the King altogether. All suffered, and the King suffered along with them. He now felt poor because of how many lost belief in His plan.

The King was still the Ruler, of course, but, without loyal subjects who serve Him with joy, love, and exhilaration, how can a King declare His kingship? His royal plan remained intact, but the non-believers created dissonance, anxiety, and discord, for only the King held the key to a life of peace and good-will. Going against Him or ignoring His existence caused turmoil from misalignment. It was a bumpy ride. So many began to worry, but one of the King’s Principles was that He, not His subjects, would do the worrying. Thus, when they worried, it was like praying for what they did not want. All that negative energy and distrust made it all worse.

The result of this misalignment was the escalation of pain, challenges, and hardship. This grieved the King tremendously.  Many wandered far away from His loving embrace and no longer sought it. “Return to Me, My children,” He called out, but so few heard His voice. “I can help you if you would only trust Me and stop thinking that you or your friends and associates have all the answers.  Try talking to Me even if you feel far away. Slowly resume the actions that I promise you will help connect you to Me. For goodness sake, stop bickering with each other. Accept that you have all strayed in your own way, leaving me without a substantial kingdom of followers. As a result, you may feel lacking, but abundance is waiting for you. I am a poor King without you, but when you return to Me, I will accept you with open arms. If you cannot see the silver lining within the challenges you are facing and are not able to thank me for the good hidden within them, then simply cry out to Me. I will hear your cry and help You. All You have to do is make the effort to reach Me.”

Gradually some of the King’s disconnected subjects re-thought their position. They still did not understand why the King desired that they perform certain actions that He promised would draw them closer to Him and to peace and harmony in the world, but they were willing to try. As they grew in their service, spoke to the King with their own heart-felt words, and cried out to Him, they reported amazing changes in their lives.  Many began to follow His mandates in an organized, deliberate, and continuous manner, speaking kindly of Him to others and to their children. Their children, then, learned to place the King before them always. Then the stories began to flow. People shared stories of miracles—some minor and some major. The re-connection caused much of the discord and interference that plagued the subjects to literally dissolve. They realized that the King had developed a plan that was perfect and that even if they did not fully understand how it produced the results it did, the fact remained that they were happier, more fulfilled, and healthier when they accepted it with love, alacrity, and awe.

The more time the subjects devoted to serving the King and to thanking Him and demonstrating gratitude, the happier they grew. This spirit of contentment and happiness generated positive energies that affected others. As they shared their stories and secrets, people started listening.  These foot soldiers, who re-kindled their passion to become loyal emissaries of the King, ignited enthusiasm that translated to awe and intense love for the King. The energies of acceptance and love multiplied until the King presented Himself in royal fashion whereby He was re-united with His Kingdom in unity and acceptance of His will. The unity came from recognizing that, indeed, the King held the key to a life of peace, meaning, and happiness. As more and more turned their eyes to the King, the darkness started to dissipate. The light brought clarity. Thoughts became pure, speech followed these thoughts, and actions increased that were sanctioned by the royal throne. All of this solidified the transformation. The rest of the story is unfolding, and, with increased and continuing effort and the King’s help, the light, hope, and understanding that is the by-product of this unity of spirit will surely lead to a miraculous culmination and a new vibrant beginning.