It is said that long ago, a king wanted his son to get married, so he had an idea on how to find the best wife in the kingdom. He decided to have a contest between the young ladies of the court or whoever found herself worthy of his challenge.

The next day, the king announced that he would have a special banquet for all of his son’s suitors and reveal the challenge.

During the celebration, the most beautiful girls, with the most beautiful clothes, with the most beautiful jewels and with the most determined intentions were present.

Finally, the King announced the challenge:

– I am going to give each one of you a flowerpot, soil and a seed. The one that brings me the most beautiful flower within six months will be chosen to marry my son and be the future queen.

The time passed and all the suitors came together, each with a flower that was more beautiful than the other: orchids, roses, daisies, tulips… of various sizes and colors. But there was one young lady that was not as beautiful, or as rich, as the others. She wore no jewelry and, worse, she was the only one that had an empty flowerpot.

Finally, the much awaited moment had arrived and the king observed each of the suitors with much care and attention. After looking at them all, one by one, he announces the result and says that the young woman with the empty flowerpot would be his son’s future wife. Those present had very unexpected reactions. No one understood why he chose the one girl that didn’t grow anything.

So the King calmly stated:

– She was the only one who cultivated a flower that made her worthy of becoming a future queen. The flower of honesty, because all the seeds I gave you were sterile.

What mattered to the king was not their outer beauty, but their inner beauty. Those who tried to cheat their way into becoming queen were eventually excluded from the kingdom.

Our God does not care about our appearance, but He does care about our thoughts, intentions and actions. This is exactly what makes a difference between those who are and those who are not of God!

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings. Jeremiah 17.9-10