The Mud Queen

In the kingdom of no hope lived a young queen made of mud.  The people made of straw mocked and made fun of her.  They made her life hard and hurtful.  Each day she would gather the straw which she traded to make her bread and feed her children.  Her children were the broken, poor in spirit and humble of the land.  The children groaned as they too were mocked like their mother.  Their life was filled with pain, misery, and disrespect.  They would often feel the need to appease their accusers, the children of the straw.

They would come to the queen with their afflictions.  She would remind them that these afflictions are both temporary and mild, a thought which was not easily believed.  Yet her children would indeed endure.  The mud queen reminded them that the King promised He would return and that He would make all things right.  He promised not only an end to their pain and misery but to injustice too.  And even more He promised to turn their muddy selves into something so beautiful that they could not even imagine.

This was the hope for which the queen and her children became known.  Indeed, they were often mocked by the straw people, “You Hopefuls! What do you have to hope in?  What good has your king brought you?”  While these words stung, the ‘Hopefuls’ did believe and thus willingly accepted the ‘slander’ of being called a ‘Hopeful’.

But it was the living before the hope fulfilled that was a sorrow.  Each day’s work brought more scars from the straw.  As they handled and traded the straw it would often poke them and even become embedded in their little muddy bodies.  This was painful and required time spent removing the straw.  This was also a painful process but was rewarded by relief.  The scars were slow to fade but for those who were patient and persevered they did.

The citizens of the straw kingdom, or pretenders, would work, play and engage in their lives as if everything would continue forever as it was.  They thought nothing of the King or his return.  They thought he would not return because they thought he was not… or if he was, then surely the King would be like them.  They would give no moment of thought that the King was.  They gave no thought that the King was not like them.  And the fear that he would return to claim what was his, was not allowed to rest on their minds. 

The King returned not by the land, or the sea but by the sky.  The fear reached everyone to soul and bone.  The darkest deepest secrets that people hide even from themselves were revealed. And the truth of holiness could no longer be buried by delusional minds.  Many people fainted at this sight of the king.  Many people died right where they stood.  Many ran away hoping to hide, jumping in pools and never coming up for they were more afraid of the King than of drowning.  They ran into caves and mines, begging the mountains to fall on them so they would not have to face him.  But all new it was hopeless.  Everyone would face him.

As the king spoke judgement, fire ushered from his mouth and consumed the whole land.  Nothing could be seen but flames.  Nothing could be heard but wailing and screams.  When the king was done pronouncing the judgment the flames from his mouth subsided.  As the flames died down, small figured glowing red could be seen.  The figures looked at each other and themselves.  They seemed shocked at what they saw.  As time went on and the heat abated their color turned from red to a beautiful translucent pearl white.  Their appearance was perfect, not even the smallest imperfection.  Their hair of varying colors but all appeared as the finest silk, thick and lucious.  Their eyes were mesmerizing and difficult to turn away from.  Their bodies strong and…. Perfect.   There was not even the slightest imperfection.

“What happened to us?” They said in disbelief.  “Just a few moments ago we were mud.  Now… we don’t know what we are.” 

As they were talking the most beautiful of the figures came forward, dressed in a wedding gown whose beauty cannot be described in mortal words.  The look of shalom was on her face.  Everything was as it should be.  “You are now porcelain.  You are now, what you were designed to be.”

She smiled at the king and he smiled back.  She turned to face her children, “And that is only…” She couldn’t finish the words before one of her children realized. 

“Wow!!!” he yelled, “I can’t even have an evil thought.  Nothing in me wants to do anything wrong.  All malice, anger, envy, lust….. It’s all just…. Gone!”  As all the children realized what had happened inwardly to them, the shouting, yelling and partying became overwhelming.  Then all at once, everyone stopped and a humbling silence overcame them.  Everyone realized that it was the king who had done all this.  They deserved none of it.  They fell prostrate and began simply to say, “Worthy is the king to receive all glory and honor.”  

Then another set of voices began to be heard, “The king is indeed the king.  He is true, right and good.  We did not listen or acknowledge him and so we are justly punished for our rebellion.”  Heaps of smoldering ashes repeated these words among their desperate cries of unendurable pain.

The same fire that had transformed the mud people into porcelain had also reduced the straw people to an ever smoldering ash.  

The porcelain queen walked with graceful purpose to meet her husband, the King.  The children erupted in choruses of joy and praise that had never been heard before in their little kingdom.  The joy was unbounded and unending.  And this story is the only one to truly end that they lived happily ever after.