This City

I haven’t always lived in this city. In fact it wasn’t too long ago that life was very different. There was a time when I lived all by myself in a cave. I was unable to leave my cave because the entrance was as hot as a fire. There was nothing in my cave; not even light. When I was hungry, there was nothing to eat. When I was thirsty, there was nothing to drink. The concept of day and night meant nothing in my cave.

One day a man entered my cave for the first time ever. There was light all around this man so I could see him. We chatted for a bit, when he finally asked me if I would be interested in leaving my cave and going to his city with him. He said he was the king of a great city and he could permit me to enter in. I told him of course I would be interested. The king then looked at me very seriously and he said he would take me as long as I understood two very important aspects of leaving.

1. Everything in the city belongs to him. The people who live in the city are allowed to use all of it, but everything is owned by him.
2. He can send me back to my cave at anytime. A snap of his fingers and I would be gone.

My empty life in the cave hadn’t amounted to much, so I told him that I would like to go with him and I swore I would always remember what he told me.

As we made our way to the entrance of the cave, I noticed that I didn’t feel the heat as I once did. We walked right out of the cave without getting burned at all. Outside of the cave I saw life for the first time. There were trees, animals and flowers. I saw hills, grass and a creek. It was amazing out there. I was surrounded by beauty. I looked behind me at the cave and I saw there were hundreds of caves just like the one where I had lived. I wondered how many of those people had accepted the King’s offer. Certainly, those caves must be empty. I knew that I was glad to leave my old life.

This man was a wealthy king and a generous king. He had many riches that he allowed all of the residents of his city to use. His only request was that we be good stewards with his possessions. He asked that we not be wasteful and we not be greedy. I appreciated what the king had done for me. In my cave, my existence was meaningless and now I was able to enjoy life everyday. When I drink water, I remember how I used to thirst, but had nothing to drink. And when I eat food I recall the hunger I felt inside my cave. I feel very fortunate, and I owe it all to the King that allowed me to enter his city.

I know what life I left for the life that I have now. I used to have nothing and now I have everything. The King has given me more than I imagined and has been more gracious than I deserve. The King has more strength and power than any man in the city, and for some reason he came to my cave and offered me a way to be a part of his family. There is nothing that I can do for the King to thank him enough for what he has done for me. I owe the King my life.

You ask why we stop and give thanks to our King before every meal, and that is why, my son, because I haven’t always lived in this city.