This too shall pass

I read a short story yesterday, and after much paraphrasing, it goes something like this:

One day, a powerful king decided that he wanted to humble one of his exceptionally capable servants by sending him on a wildgoose chase for what the king believed was a nonexistent magical artifact, a ring that could bring despair to a happy man and hope to a sad one. After many months of searching, the servant returned to the king, who believing he had taught his servant a lesson in humility, smiled and asked if he had found what he was sent to retrieve. To his surprise, the servant produced from a velvet purse a silver ring with four words etched across its face. When the king saw the writing on the ring, his smile disappeared and, though he was powerful beyond description and wealthy beyond compare, the king quickly fell into despair. Those four words? "This too shall pass".

I really think I need to have a mental ring like this to chasten me when I can't feel my feet touch the ground, and to encourage me when those same feet are crushed by the burdens I must carry. All things in this life, whether good or bad, shall pass. I realize now that it's important to not dwell on the moment so much; I must not cling in vain to fleeting moments of euphoria nor wallow pitifully in times of despair. In the end, I must focus on that which is not ephemeral, that which was not promised by man, but by God.


Yours humbly,
David