No Ugly Here!

    The story has been told of a young girl who was the daughter of one of the royal families of Europe, but had a gargantuan nose that, in her own eyes, destroyed her beauty and resulted in her seeing herself as an ugly person.  So her family hired a famous plastic surgeon to change the shape and size of the girl’s nose.  He did the work. Then came the moment when he took the bandages off so they could see the results.  The doctor saw that the procedure had been a total success.  All ugliness was gone.  Her nose was beautiful and petite.  When the incisions healed and the redness disappeared she would be an incredibly beautiful young lady. 
    The doctor held up a mirror for the girl to see, but so deeply embedded in her mind was an ugly image of herself, that even when looking into the mirror she couldn’t see change.  She broke down in tears and cried out, “I knew it!  I knew it wouldn’t work!”  It took a total of six months for the girl to accept the fact that she was indeed attractive.  Her behavior began to change when she accepted the truth. 
    A child of God must accept his new identity before there can be any real change.  The realization is, “Old things have passed away and behold all things have become new” and we must accept it.  (II Corinthians 5:17)  Most people focus on the outer man, but God looks at the heart.  He works on balancing the inner and outer person in order for them to live in harmony.  His emphasis is to change the inside man first so the outer man can truly mirror the nature on the inside. 
    The wisdom of God knows that when the inner man is healthy the physical body will follow suit.  “I wish above all things that you prosper and be in health even as your soul (inner man) prospers” (III John 1:3). 
    I’m sure that you remember Clark Kent, the mild mannered newspaper reporter, whom nobody expected anything extraordinary.  But whenever there was a sudden call for action, far beyond the normal ability of man, Clark would step into a phone booth, strip off his ordinary business suit, and emerge with bulging muscles as Superman.  He could do what normally was impossible. 
    The Word of God teaches us from cover to cover, “Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world” (I John 4:4).  Sadly, most believers have not seen themselves in this light.  Like the young girl who could not see the change in her new image, they are blind to what they have become in Christ. 
    The change that comes from salvation is not a lottery neither is it a shell game.  It is a blood sport.  Christ stood out front to take the hits and the beatings for us so we could be changed and completely healed.  “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah, 53:5).  He arose from the grave for our hope and eternal change.  He became ugly, covered with blood to make us beautiful.   J. C. is pastor of Joy Christian Ministries W. Sac.

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