The Greatest of Them All

8/4/2019 The Greatest of Them All

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There was once a kingwho called all the liquids inhis realm to presentthemselves before him.Each was to tell him whatservice and benefit they

were to the kingdom. Thegreatest would receive a

special reward.Soon the court was

assembled and many

liquids stood before theking, anxious to speaktheir piece.


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Seawater spoke first:

I am thegreatest.

I transport the ships that carrypeople and cargo from one portto another. Many fish swim inmy waters.

Not only

that, Icontain avaluablemineral,salt.

I am the greatest!I fill the rivers,

lakes and streams.I also fill the wells,where the thirstycome to drink.

Withoutme thepeoplewould die,

for I amthe onlyone thatcanquenchtheir thirst.

Freshwaterspoke:


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Excuse me, you have forgotten that we, the Fruit Juices, also give satisfactionto mans thirst. By us, their bodies are strengthened because of the vitamins we

contain and the nourishment we give. We are the greatest because we are themost desired and pleasurable to the taste.

Milk interrupted theheated argument.

It is not

water or juice that anewborn tastes; it is

milk.

I am bothfood and

drink to theyoung.Without me,man andbeast wouldceaseto exist. And so the rest of the liquids

boasted of themselves to the king,

claiming that they were indeed thegreatest.


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The kings

subjects,too, beganto argueamongstthemselvesover whichliquid theythoughtshouldreceivethe prize.

I saywine comesout on top. It

gives joy to theheart.

You fool, havent you smelt the

aroma of perfume? Why, surelysomething so rich and lovely

deserves to be rewarded as greatest.

Soon the whole court was divided by endlessbickering over which liquid was the greatest. Theonce happy, cheerful king became very worried,seeing the outcome of this situation. He regrettedmaking the proclamation at all. He never thought thathis decree would cause such an uproar. He excusedhimself and retreated to his chamber, deeply

disheartened.

Dayspassed,

and the liquids continued toboast of themselves, and evenbegan to put down the others withcutting remarks. Letters flooded infrom all over the land, frompeople eager to persuade

the monarch of theirfavorite choice.


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Soon, the whole kingdom was divided by contention. The king felt soexhausted that he quit hearing all their claims. The troubled king becameeven more distressed, until he became so seriously ill that he lay grieving onhis deathbed.

He called his courtiers to his side, and told them to seek and find if therewere any other liquids in his kingdom who would be worthy to receive the

reward, and to determine who was greatest.

He appointed a jury totake care of the matter,but before long theywere as divided in theiropinion as ever. Thecompetitors, being nowso desperate, beganover-emphasizing theirworth, even to theextent of lying. Therewas great confusion,bitterness and envy asa result of theirattitudes.

The king prayed,

Oh God! You told methat I should give this reward to the

most deserving, but I have been unable

to find one that is not proud andunloving. Here I lie, and now I will die

with a sad and broken heart.

Meanwhile, in the court, the argumentswere getting louder and more intense.Then suddenly the queen appeared,

and everyone was shocked, for shewas dressed in black apparel.


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Quietly thequeen spoke.

Withgreat sadness

of heart I must tell

you that our dear,kind, and belovedking has just taken

his last breath.

Come, and I will show you for thelast time our honorable king.

Silently they allfollowed the queento pay theirrespects to thelifeless king. Asthey beheld hissaddened face,they becameashamed of theirpride, greed,and contention.

It was not long until everyone was silent, for God was speaking to their hearts.

It was then that the fairy queen of Heaven appeared beside the kings bedside.

Open your eyes and behold, for in thismoment the God of Heaven will reveal themystery of who is truly greatest.

At that moment,a teardrop ran

down the queenscheek and fell on

the kings face.

Instantly, ittransformed intoa beautiful fairy.


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Goodbye, my sweet and cherishedking. I am the fairy of the teardrop, ofthe tears that flow from a heart of love,a heart that weeps for another. I wasnot able to appear before, for I can onlyflow from a broken heart. I cleanse the

hearts of those who allow me in, thatthey may grow closer to God.

As the teardropfairy kissed her

beloved king, thefairy queen wavedher magic wandand immediately

the king came backto life. He sat up

from his bed.

Thank you, my

dear teardrop, forhonoring us withyour presence.

Truly, you are thegreatest of

them all.


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Then, turning to the speechless nobles and courtiers that filled the room, hecontinued:

And so, this day I officially proclaim that thegreatest among all the liquids is our dear, belovedteardrop. For she cleanses our hearts and purifies

our spirits. She brings our hearts closer to God,for He has said that He is near to them who are ofa broken heart.

Instantly teardrops appeared on the cheeks of everyone present, and they

rejoiced with great rejoicing, for the life of their king had been restored. Andthey all agreed that the teardrop was indeed the greatest of them all.

From that day on, the kingdom was a happy,peaceful place where all the liquids worked

together to serve their kingdom well. And God, in Hisjoy, decreed that the teardrop would henceforth appearnot only in sorrow, but also in joy, that her beauty couldalways be kept in the hearts of mankind. And one dayHe will wipe away all sorrowful tears from our eyes,and only the joyous tears will remain.

Th F il I t ti l

The Greatest of Them All

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