There was once a rich widower who fell desperately in love with a beautiful young woman from a poor family. He watched her from a distance, as she went about her daily life, rejoicing with her when she was happy and weeping for her when she was sad. He would leave anonymous gifts for her and her family and enjoy from afar as they marvelled at his bounty. He decided to build a beautiful house for her, high up on the mountain, with spectacular views and every comfort she could wish for. When it was ready, he sent his own son to tell her of his love for her and to invite her to visit him, but she didn't believe him and sent him away.
The widower didn't give up, though, he kept sending his servants to her with tokens of his love and invitations, but the young woman had come to the attention of a group of wealthy students, who were captivated by her beauty and would invite her to their lavish parties, so she ignored the messengers.
Eventually, however, the parties began to lose their appeal, she was bored with all the insincerity and shallowness and she began to look for something more, something real. The next time one of the widower’s messengers came, therefore, she invited them in and listened. The messenger told her all about the widower and how much he loved her and wanted her to be his wife and live in the beautiful house with him. The messenger described it for her and how amazing it was to live there. The woman listened enraptured and began to visualise what it would be like to live there, but then a shadow crossed her face,
“It's so far away”, she said, “What if my friends invite me to a party? I won't be able to go. Can't he build me a house here? That seems much more reasonable. Then, if my friends want me to party with them, I can go and then come back to him after?”
“You would be his wife,” the messenger said, “you must be faithful to him, if you want to live in his house.”
Sadly, the woman led the messenger to the door. “I'm sorry,” she said, “but that doesn't seem fair to me. It's my life - I want to be able to live it as I choose. If he really loved me, he'd let me live in the beautiful house he built for me without any strings attached. I don't see why I should have to be faithful to him!”
The messenger took the woman's words back to the widower, who bowed his head, heartbroken.
**God has made a way for us to live with Him in His House (Heaven), and he desperately wants us there, but He's not just offering us lodgings, He wants a relationship with us - and relationship, by its very nature, comes with “strings attached”.
Isn't that what we're all really seeking - CONNECTION?**
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