"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to
prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a
future".1
Most of us will be familiar with the children's fable of the ugly
duckling how a mother hen had six beautiful golden yellow chicks and
one ugly gray one. The ugly one was picked on by all the other chicks,
rejected, made fun of, and made to feel terrible because he was so
different. You can imagine how he felt. Some time later when all the
chicks were grown, along came a flock of beautiful swans. How the ugly
duckling adored them and lo and behold, he looked into the water and
saw his own reflection and came to the profound realization that he
wasn't an ugly duckling but a beautiful swan! His life was forever
changed.
Did you ever feel like you were an "ugly duckling" misfit? Many of us
have. Many still do. I've known beautiful people who felt and believed
they were ugly. In younger days I had a "girl friend" who told me I
was ugly. Tragically I believed her! She wasn't my girl friend very
long but the image she planted in my mind took a long time to erase.
When we define ourselves as ugly and believe it, it can be devastating
to our self-image and behavior and how well we do in life.
When parents or peers repeatedly tell us we are ugly, clumsy, stupid
or whatever, and we believe what they say and define ourselves that
way, we tend to act accordingly because we always act consistently
with what we believe deep down—no matter what we may profess.
I know it is easier said than done, but there is only one way to truly
define ourselves, and that is how God sees us. And when we see
ourselves this way, our life can be forever changed too!
Certainly God sees our wounded-ness, our brokenness, our sins, and our
failures, but he separates our person from our actions and sees beyond
these. He sees us as his creation and loves us with an everlasting
love. He sees the person in us that he envisions us to be . . . our
potential and what, with his help, we can become.
As Michelangelo said, "I saw the angel in the marble and chiseled
until I set it free." That's how God sees you and me. He looks beyond
the rugged exterior and sees the "angel" within each of us.
As God said to the ancient Israelites, he also says to you and me:
"For I know the plans I have for you . . . plans to prosper you and
not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
May God help each of us to see ourselves as God sees us, to see our
God-given potential, and with God's help become that person.
--
Hollecrest & Associates Inc -"Turnaround Consultants"
http://www.ic.gc.ca/ccc/search/cp?l=eng&e=123456239975 .
Back to Eden communities
Sunridge -261 Oakhill Drive, Brantford
backtoeden.ontario@gmail.com
www.backtoeden.bravehost.com
"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable"
-quality 24/7 care
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