by: Joel Villaraza

King Baldwin IV was born in Jerusalem in 1161. He reigned as King of the Kingdom of Jerusalem from 1174 until his death in 1185. He was noble and already won great victories by leading his knights in battle even at a young age. He was known as 'The Leper King' because he was tragically stricken with leprosy at an early age until the time of his death. This intriguing story was  set into a dramatic motion picture years ago. In one part of the movie entitled 'Kingdom of Heaven', King Baldwin was talking to Balian of Ibelin who was the main character in the film. The two met in his castle and during their conversation, the king gave an insightful and reflective counsel to his brave knight.

"The whole world is in chess. Any move can be the death of you. Do anything except remain where you started, and you can't be sure of your end. Were you sure of your end once?"

"When I was sixteen, I won a great victory. I felt in that moment I would live to be a hundred. Now I know I shall not see thirty. None of us know our end, really, or what hand will guide us there. A king may move a man, a father may claim a son, but that man can also move himself, and only then does that man truly begin his own game. Remember that howsoever you are played or by whom, your soul is in your keeping alone, even though those who presume to play you be kings or men of power. When you stand before God, you cannot say, "But I was told by others to do thus," or that virtue was not convenient at the time. This will not suffice. Remember that."

Were you confronted with an important decision whether to follow God or to follow others? Was your decision worth it or was it something you came to regret later in life? Whether we are aware or not, life is a choice. Every time we walk life's journey, we will come to a fork in the road. We either make a right decision or a wrong decision. Remember, whatever we do, we are responsible for our own action. When we stand in the presence of God, we can not justify that we were forced by others to do such a thing. As what King Baldwin said, "This will not suffice". Our soul is in our keeping.

Whatever we do or when we come to an important decision in life, let us then pray to the Lord to always guide us. With humility, let us trust Him that He will show us the path to take.

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." (Proverbs 3:5-6)