The King and the Princes

Metaphoric advice to a teen starting his journey into adulthood.

 

The King and the Princes

               

     There once lived a King and Queen who had twin sons. The two princes were given the best education money could buy. They wanted for very little as they grew from children into young adulthood. The boys were raised by two caring parents in a home of love and faith in God. The King spent a lot of time with the boys and was a positive role model for them. He taught them everything he knew about people and the world and tried to prepare them for the day when they would grow up to become Kings of their own castles.

     The time came when the two princes were becoming young men and longed for the freedom to make their own way and forge their own place in the world. The two boys wanted to sail across the ocean to discover their own kingdoms and to find their own queens. But the boys had no money to finance such a journey. So the King and Queen bought them each the finest ship money could buy. The princes were given the best training on how to captain a ship. They were also given maps and equipment to chart their courses. Their ships were staffed with the finest crew, food, provisions, and a way of communicating with the King who has successfully navigated the ocean before them and who could guide them along their journey should they need help or council. The day came when the King and Queen helped their sons onto their ships, settled them in, showed them around, and finally pointed them in the right direction and said good-bye.

     One prince was particularly anxious to be out on the open sea under his own command. He would often neglect to spend the proper amount of time on deck, guiding the crew to raise their sails and catch the winds. He took great pleasure in the company of women and song in the comfort of his cabin where he enjoyed free flowing wine, late nights, and slumbers of exhaustion from which he did not awake until late in the morning or early in the afternoon. He failed to regularly check his course and assess his position with the stars. He squandered his resources and ignored his crew. He wandered from his faith, his education, and the teaching of his parents. Along the way, there were those with experience in sailing who tried to tell him that he was making mistakes and that the ship required his commands to reach their destination. He was reminded that his Father and Mother financed this expedition at great expense. But the young prince continued to remind the crew that he was the Captain and no longer was he under the control of the King. He was urged to contact the King for council but refused. The crew started to lose faith in him. The winds of opportunity blew by the ship, the choppy waters tossed them about, the storms spun them around and around, and before long the crew started to desert the ship. The Prince eventually found himself marooned on an island in the middle of the vast ocean, in complete control and command of a lonely little piece of sand and stone without his family, his kingdom, or his glory.

     His brother was also challenged with choppy waters, violent storms, windless days and times when he felt lost at sea. But the prince was always sure to rise early, take his place on the deck, check his position and give the crew orders to adjust the ship. He never missed the winds of opportunity when they blew across the ship. He listened to the crew and often took their advice.

     When he felt lost or uncertain, he would contact the King to take advantage of his vast experience in crossing these waters before him. He knew he was in complete control of his ship, but respected the fact that his journey was financed by his Father and Mother who waited anxiously to see him conquer the oceans and bring his ship safely into a land where he could start his own kingdom. When the work of the day was complete and the ship was on the right course, he indulged himself in wine, women and song and the company of his loyal crew. He shared with them the spoils of the day and as a result, they were most loyal to his commands. He braved the most violent of storms, he navigated through the choppy waters, he sailed strong on the windiest days, and he always knew where he was among the stars and where he was going. He never forgot to give thanks to the Lord and he put his fine education and upbringing to good use. When he climbed to the deck and took the wheel in his hand, he was respected and his commands were obeyed. He was Captain of his ship and nothing happened without his say. When he retired to the comforts of his cabin or the galley, he was loved and enjoyed for his ability to have light-hearted fun, drink, and folly with his crew. He treated them as equals and as a result, they treated him like a King. One day, he saw land in sight and was greeted with hero’s welcome as he descended from his vessel and claimed the land as his kingdom. At the feast, he was surprised to see the King and Queen who were waiting for his arrival. They had prepared the banquet for his arrival and also presented him with a glorious castle and a treasure to begin his own kingdom. The King himself conducted the ceremony and crowned his son King.

     After the celebration, the two kings walked together. The son asked his father what became of his brother. The King told him that while they both were given the exact same advantages in life, and they both chose the same path, they each chose to rule differently. Power and freedom are very dangerous gifts without discipline and commitment. God created us all in his likeness with the power and freedom to live the example of his son. But that same power and freedom can lead us away from that example if we fail to remember his teachings, respect the Father’s rules, tend to our responsibilities, and constantly adjust our position to stay on course. The lost prince had the same chance for success but lost his priorities and all the advantages given to him as a result. The new king asked his father if he should commission a rescue mission to find his lost brother. But the king said no. “Your brother is a man who will now die alone on his island, find his way home on the sea, or die trying. If he sends word that he requires our help, then certainly we shall hurry to his aid as we would for any of our brothers in need but we shall give him nothing in the way of riches or resource. He has been given all he needs. I have raised my son well and you are not your brother’s keeper. Therefore, he is on his own. He wanted to be in control of his destiny and so he was and so he shall remain. We must all decide on our own what kind of captain or king to become. ”

 

Reviews

[MIKE]

I liked how the one son showed the independence to step away from the rigidity that was embeded in his soul.