This article was originally published in Spirit & Life magazine, May-June, 2000
Nearly everyone enjoys a good fairy tale. That's because stories speak to us in different ways and on deeper levels than other forms of communication. Whether we are children or adults, fairy tales engage our hearts and imaginations, as much as our minds. For me one of the more fascinating type of fairy tales are those of a mysterious being who suddenly appears and offers to grant the hero one or more requests. Whether this mysterious being is a relatively benign genie that emerges from a bottle or a more intimidating figure, such as a witch or a troll, we instinctively know that the hero is being put to the test. What will the hero choose? Will the hero choose wisely or foolishly? Will the choice be based on selfish motives or unselfish ones? I can never read such stories without asking myself: if faced with the same opportunity, what would I ask for?
This was precisely the situation Solomon found himself in, when the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said: "Ask something of me and I will give it to you" (1 Kings 3:5). What should he ask for? No doubt his mind raced, flipping through hundreds of possibilities: long life, a great and secure kingdom, tremendous wealth, the swiftest horse and the finest chariot in the world. The possibilities were endless, but he could request only one thing. What would it be? He searched his mind. He searched his heart. It was there he found something he genuinely lacked and needed. "O Lord, my God...I am a mere youth, not knowing at all how to act...Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong. For who is able to govern this vast people of yours" (1 Kings 3:7,9)? God was pleased with Solomon's request--so pleased that he granted him a wise and understanding heart and riches and glory, and, if he heeded God's commands, a long life.
