Jacob looked at his reflection in the puddle.
He did not like what looked back at him.
It was not a cute face. His nose a little too wide and flat. His lips a little
too big. His hair a little too short and coarse.
He stared at the face in the puddle. Worse thing was, it did not look like anyone
else he knew.
Jacob lived with his mother. There was never much said about his father, other than
he was not around. Jacob never remembered ever seeing him.
"Did he look like me," Jacob wondered, as a gust of wind blew a ripple
across the face in the puddle.
He was tired of the other children's making fun of his looks. He also heard
them whispering about him not having a father. He was even more tired of hearing
that.
One day while coming home from school, Jacob saw a rustle of activity in the neighborhood.
Streets were blocked off. Lights were set up....cameras were positioned.
A movie crew had set up shop. They needed some location footage and Jacob's
threadbare neighborhood was to be that setting.
As he drew closer he saw a crowd of people all focused on one person. It was the
star of the movie. Known throughout the world for his strong acting and for being so
handome.. He drew a crowd wherever he went.
Jacob worked his way to the edge of the crowd. He noticed the actor was scanning the
crowd, walking slowly, looking at all of the young boys as he made his way around
the perimeter of the crowd.
"I am looking for a young boy to play me as a boy,' he explained, as he walked
around the crowd.
All of the little boys raised their hands. All wanted to be part of the movie.
Jacob did not call attention to himself. He did not want anyone else to see the
reflection he had seen in the puddle.
Suddenly he felt a shadow fall down upon him.
As he looked up, there stood the actor, looking down on him.
He reached out his hand to Jacob and lead him out of the crowd.
"This is the boy I want for my movie, " said the actor. "He looks just like
me."
The actor was not looking at Jacob's reflection. He was looking at his heart.
He remembered being shy, withdrawn and some what embarrassed about how he looked as a
youngster, and he saw himself in Jacob.
Often times we disparage ourselves.
We do not like our looks. We berate our intelligence. We feel like we are not
worth anything.
But God is looking down upon us and saying, "He or She looks just like me."
God made us in his image, endowed us with His wisdom.
And now has saved us in the image of His Son, Jesus Christ.
With God as our Father, how can we be anything else but beautiful successful children.
We look just like Him!
