Beauty and the cross

Kenny Stafford writes about a family vacation time and a sight he'll never forget.

He and his family were inside Cinderella's castle. It was packed with kids and parents. Suddenly all the children rushed to one side. Cinderella had entered.

She was perfectly typecast -- a gorgeous girl, each hair in place, flawless skin and a beaming smile. She stood waist-deep in a garden of kids, each wanting to touch her.

For some reason, Kenny turned and looked toward the other side of the castle. There he saw a boy, perhaps 8 years old. He was dwarfed in height and his face was deformed. He was watching quietly and wistfully. He wanted to be with the other kids reaching for Cinderella, calling her name. But fear of rejection held him back.

Suddenly Cinderella noticed the little boy. She immediately began walking in his direction. Politely but firmly inching through the crowd of children, she finally broke free. She walked quickly across the floor, knelt at eye level with the stunned little boy and placed a kiss on his face. It was as if she had given him some great gift.

Kenny said it reminded him of another story. Rather than a boy in a castle, it's a thief on a cross. In both cases, the lovely one performed a gesture beyond words. But Jesus did more than Cinderella. She gave only a kiss. When she stood to leave, she took her beauty with her. The boy was still deformed. What if Cinderella had done what Jesus did? What if she had somehow given him her beauty and taken on his disfigurement?

The Bible says, "The chastisement of our peace was upon him and by his stripes we are healed." Jesus confronted, absorbed and overcame evil in this world and He calls us, as His followers, to do the same.

Remember, the world is a better place because Easter has come. Now we have to go out and prove it every day by being Christ-like in our lives. God will help us, if we just let Him.

God bless you, and have a great day.

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Watson is pastor of the Bella Vista Assembly of God. The opinions expressed in this column don't necessarily reflect the views of the newspaper.

Religion on 04/16/2014