Last Updated on January 6, 2023
Many people pay close attention to their physical and emotional well-being. However, they often forget about their spirituality — which is a shame. That’s why it’s important to read spiritual stories.
Short stories that explore spirituality will help you understand yourself a bit more and make you a better person. Not only will you be able to heal yourself, but also heal everyone around you including your friends, father, mother, child, partner, co-workers, and everyone else around you.
All spiritual stories also take you closer to God. They help with meditation too.
To help you on your spiritual journey, here are a few short stories that can teach you the most important things in life.
Table of Contents
A Young Man and His Three Questions
A young man was having trouble with his faith. So he went to a wise, old man to get some answers. The wise man was kind enough to entertain him.
The young man asked three questions:
- If God exists, then how come nobody has ever seen him?
- What is my destiny?
- How can the devil—who’s birthed from fire—suffer in hell that’s made of fire?
The wise man smiled and then slapped the young man in the face.
Stunned, the young man asked if he had offended the wise man. The wise man said no. He then went on to assure the young man that he was only answering his questions.
The wise man asked the young man if he believed in pain. He answered yes. And yet he cannot see pain. He felt the slap but couldn’t describe what it looked like. He can only feel it. Belief in God works the same way.
As for the second question, the young man didn’t know that he’d get slapped when he woke up this morning. He did not know that he’d get slapped moments before. And yet it still happened. There’s no point in knowing your destiny. What’s more important is how you handle it once it arrives.
Finally, the wise man answered the last question. He explained that his hands were made of skin, muscle, and bones. It hit the young man’s face which is made up of the same thing. And yet they both felt the sting once his hand made contact.
The young boy, upon hearing these words, got up and went home with a smile on his face.
Moral of the Story
Just because you don’t see God doesn’t mean he’s not there.
The Kind Villager
In a small valley was a village where one man who was known for his kindness once lived. All his neighbors loved the guy. In their little slice of heaven, he was considered the happiest.
His positive outlook influenced those around him. Any friend who came to talk with him walked away with a smile on his face. It was as if he was an angel sent there to watch over everyone.
One villager was so impressed that he was genuinely curious why the man was so at peace with himself. So he set off to find his happy neighbor to get some answers.
It wasn’t long before the neighbor was face-to-face with the kind man. After exchanging pleasantries, he asked:
“What’s your secret to staying happy? How are you so at peace with everything?”
The happy man replied:
“When you’re at peace with yourself, you can be at peace with the rest of the world. You start to enjoy life.”
The kind man went on to explain that finding peace within yourself is not as easy as he makes it sound. It requires a person to keep his or her thoughts under control. But when you do, you’ll become strong and firm. You’ll develop good habits. And once you do, the happiness inside of you will be revealed.
The villager then asked:
“How do you stop people from exploiting your kindness?”
The kind man had this to say:
“The important thing to remember is that kindness is not a weakness. It’s a showing of your inner strength. And when you have inner strength, people can feel that. People can’t exploit someone with strong inner strength.”
Satisfied with the answer he got, the villager bid farewell and went home carrying the knowledge he gained that day.
Moral of the Story
Being kind to someone is not a show of weakness but of strength.
The Restless Mind
A young apprentice was on a walk with his master when he complained that his mind was in a state of constant unrest. And so he asked the old man:
“Master, I find that my mind is always restless. How can I make my mind stay still?”
To answer the question, the master told his apprentice a story.
There was once an elephant that was eating leaves when all of a sudden, a fly came buzzing near the elephant’s ear. The elephant paid no attention and went on with its business. The fly, seemingly annoyed at being ignored, buzzed even louder.
But the elephant remained unfazed.
So the fly asked:
“Elephant, are you deaf”
The elephant said he wasn’t. Curious, the fly asked another question:
“How come you’re not bothered by all my buzzing?”
The elephant explained that when he’s eating, he puts all of his attention toward the task at hand. He shuts down all of his senses so that he can focus. It’s the only way he’ll be able to enjoy the food he’s eating.
The apprentice, getting the message, wanted to confirm the lesson with his master. So he said:
“So the reason why my mind is restless is that I’m allowing my senses to take control of it. But if I’m in control of my senses, then my mind will be at peace?”
The master replied:
“Yes. When your senses take control of the mind, it will take it wherever it wants to go. But if you take control, the mind will follow you.”
Moral of the Story
When you feel overwhelmed, take control of the situation. Get hold of your senses and soon you’ll find inner peace.
The King and the Painting
A long time ago, there was a king that wanted a painting that depicted peace. He said anyone could submit a painting and that the best piece will be awarded a prize.
All the finest painters in the land brought the king their finest works. But of all the entries, one painting stood out. It was a painting of a calm lake with snow-capped mountains in the background. Above the mountains are clear blue skies — their reflection was perfectly cast on the lake.
Everyone admired the painting and knew for certain that the king would declare it the winner.
But to everyone’s surprise, the king chose a painting that depicted the exact opposite. He chose a painting that depicted a mountain that’s bare and rugged. The sky in the painting was dark and sinister — as if a huge storm is about to take place.
But in that painting was a tiny bush with a bird’s nest. In the nest was a bird that sat in peace, unfazed by the storm that was to come.
The crowd who was there to witness the ceremony asked the king why he chose that particular painting. The king replied:
“What does it mean to have peace? Is it the absence of violence or suffering? No. These things will always be present. Having peace means staying calm amidst the chaos that life brings. It is a state of mind. If your mind is at peace, then the state of your surroundings won’t matter. The bird in that painting is able to convey that message best.”
Moral of the Story
Wise men know that peace is a state of mind. Trouble will always find its way to you. But if your mind is at peace, then you’ll remain calm no matter what happens.
The Man With Four Wives
There once lived a man who had four wives. While he loved all of them equally, he loved each of them for different reasons.
He met his first wife back when they were still kids. Even when she was still a little girl, she loved him unconditionally. She had always been a loyal partner. This is why he ended up marrying her when they became adults. But his heart began to wander as the years went by. Still, she remained faithful.
The second wife was someone he could confide in. Whenever he found himself in times of need, his second wife was there to make him feel better. She was his foundation. He called her his rock.
Then the third wife came along. The man was so in love with his third wife that he did everything he can to spoil her. He bought her dresses with his gold coins. He fed her only the finest food. He didn’t want her to go away. That’s why he cared for her by giving her all that she asked for.
After some time, the man came across who would soon be his fourth wife. He fell in love with her the moment he saw her. She was so pretty that he would often show her off to his two friends. However, he often felt that she would run off with one of them the moment he took his eyes off her. So he spent most of his time on her instead of his other wives.
Over time, the man grew older. It wasn’t long before he received word from his doctor that his time on Earth is coming to an end. Thinking that he didn’t want to die alone, he thought about asking one of his wives to be with him until his death.
The fourth wife, upon learning the news, left the man without saying a word.
The third wife told him that she was ready to be with someone else so she couldn’t stay with him until the end.
The second wife said she’ll stay but only until he dies and move on with her life right after.
The man thought he’ll die alone. But to his surprise, his first wife—the one he’s been neglecting all these years—came up to him and said:
“Not only will I be here until you die, but I’ll stay with you even in the afterlife.”
The man started to cry and wished he paid more attention to his first wife for she is now old and fragile because of neglect. And his first wife deserved better than that.
Here’s what each wife represents in this short story:
- Fourth Wife — The fourth wife is our body. When our time in this world is about to come to a close, it’s the body that leaves us first. It starts to deteriorate before it finally can’t hold on any longer. We can’t take our bodies to the afterlife.
- Third Wife — The third wife represents our riches. Since we can’t take our belongings to the afterlife, they will find their way to other people. You can’t hold on to your riches after you pass away.
- Second Wife — The second wife represents our family and friends. They’ll take care of us until we die. But afterward, they will have to move on with their own lives. They’ll have to stay behind.
- First Wife — The first wife represents our souls. They’ll be with us at birth and they’ll stick with us after we die. It’s the only thing we bring with us in the afterlife. So we better take care of our souls first. We need to make sure that our souls are free of suffering so that our spirit is at peace when the time comes.
Moral of the Story
We all tend to prioritize our bodies, riches, and relationships first. But what of our souls? We need to do everything we can to make sure that our souls are never neglected. For when the time comes, they’re all that’s left. We can’t bring anything else with us — not our bodies, our gold coins, or our family and friends.
