“The King of all reigns forever, and there is neither beginnings nor end to His kingdom. To those, then, who choose to serve Him and who for His sake strive to attain holiness, He grants a reward infinitely greater than that given by any earthly ruler. The honors of this present life, however splendid, come to an end when we die; but the honors bestowed by God on those He regards as worth are incorruptible and so endure forever.” ~The Philokalia
If back in the middle ages you lived in a villages controlled by a despotic lord, it would be understandable that you would try your best to please him rather than worry about a national king some distance away. Yet, at the same time, you would not want to do anything that might make the local lord happy, but would make the more powerful king very unhappy. There is also the possibility that the local lord or Earl might die, or be overthrown, and an enemy of his take power. This new Earl may be displeased with you for doing so much for his old enemy, so now you will have to work even harder to please the new guy and keep him off your back. And on and on it goes.
Sadly today, many of us have forgotten about the King completely, and just bust our butts trying to make some local lord in the form of a company boss, a local politician, or even a political party. Kids re know to misbehave in school when the regular teacher is out sick and they get a substitute for a day or two. In doing that, they are, in a way, being smarter than their parents because they realize that it is more important to please the permanent teacher rather than the substitute they will likely never see again. Continue reading “Don’t Forget the King”
