Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Beautiful (11/07/05)
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TITLE: Beauty of a Changed Life | Previous Challenge Entry
By Janis Wiebe
11/14/05 -
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Years ago Mary’s mother gave her a framed picture of a beautiful rose. “You are such a wonderful daughter and you have blossomed just like this rose.” Mary’s throat constricted with emotion. There was a time when her life could not have been compared to the rose that was being presented to her.
Mary was a reasonably happy little girl until she reached her teens. While all of the other girl’s bodies were developing into womanly shapes, Mary felt left behind. She longed to weigh 124 lbs. and have a 36 in. bust like many of her friends. Instead, the boy she had a mad crush on told her she was “a boy dressed up as a girl”. She pretended that it didn’t hurt and laughed it off, but deep down she felt ugly.
Eventually, Mary did get to her desired weight and bust size, but by that time, it wasn’t such a big deal anymore. It didn’t matter how many times she got asked out on a date, she still felt ugly and insignificant. She would marvel if she were in a crosswalk and a car stopped to let her cross the street. She wasn’t invisible after all.
The day finally arrived when Mary met alcohol. It became her new best friend. After so many years of feeling so uncomfortable in her own skin, she was finally interesting, funny and oh, so confident. She was also brilliant, compassionate and a great counselor.
Unfortunately, her best friend turned on her. It robbed her of her common sense, her finances, her self-respect and the respect of her family and friends. Each time Mary would come to, wherever she was, full of shame and hating the degradation she felt, she would cry out to God who she knew very little about. Somewhere in her heart there was a glimmer of hope telling her that there was a life-changing God who she would meet one day.
Finally, through many more destructive and embarrassing binges, the morning came where Mary said “enough”. It was at that moment, through the fog and haze clamoring around her brain, that God let her know that there was a better way for her to live. He assured her through the fear that permeated her very sick soul that He was with her and she would never drink alcohol again.
When Mary’s mother gave her the picture, Mary had been a Christian for quite awhile. There were many adversities that she had to face, first as the consequence of a drunken life, and then just the everyday obstacles that many people encounter daily. Through it all her faith never faltered. She knew it was God who made her comfortable in her skin. Today she is interesting, funny, confident, brilliant, compassionate and a great counselor. She is beautiful because she met Jesus and He changed her.
The boy Mary had a crush on all those years ago could never say that today. Mary would still like to weigh 124 lbs. and have a 36 in. bust.
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