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The
Pink Dress
There was a little girl sitting by herself in the park. Everyone
passed her, never stopping to see why she looked so sad, never
asking if she had some place she could go. Dressed in a worn pink
dress, barefoot and dirty, the girl just sat and watched the people
go by. She never tried to speak, never said a word. Out of
curiosity, I went back to the park where I had seen her many times,
to see if she was still there. She was, in the same spot where she
had always been, and still with the same sad face. I was thinking
how the park is full of strange people and this really was no place
for a young girl to be hanging around. I decided to walk over to the
little girl. Approaching her, I saw that the back of the little
girl's dress was oddly shaped. I figured that this must be the
reason people passed her by as most people get real uncomfortable
around anyone who is different. As I got closer, the little girl
lowered her eyes slightly to avoid my intent observation of her. I
didn't want to make her feel self-conscience, so I smiled as
reassuringly as I could. It was then that I realized that the odd
shape in the back of her dress was actually a huge hump. "Poor
little dear," I thought with much pity.
"Hello," I said. The little girl seemed to be shocked at my
acknowledgment of her, and stammered out a "hi" after a long look
into my eyes. I sat down beside her and began a conversation. We
talked for a while and finally I asked the little girl why she was
so sad. She looked at me so dejectedly and said, "Because I'm
different." I felt like my heart was literally breaking! I so wanted
to take her into my arms and hold her for a long while.
"Sweet little one," I said, "you look like an angel to me!" She
looked into my eyes and smiled the prettiest smile. Then she slowly
got to her feet and said, "Really? I look like an angel to you?" I
smiled and answered, "Yes, you do! You're like a sweet little
Guardian Angel who has been sent to watch over all the people who
come to this park." With that, she opened the back of her pink dress
and suddenly, instead of seeing a grotesque hump, two white wings
were stretched out toward the heavens! "I am!" she replied in
spirited revelation. "I am your Guardian Angel!"
Needless to say, I was speechless. I
certainly was not expecting this! As I was trying to get a handle on
this in my mind, she continued, saying, "and my job here is done.
For once, you considered someone other than yourself." I jumped to
my feet, not really liking to be told that I had been thinking of
myself too much, and in my defense, pointed out that no one else had
stopped to help her. The angel smiled and warmly replied, "You are
the only one that could see me." With her reply, she was
suddenly gone, leaving me to my own perplexing thoughts and
feelings. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
I decided to call my friends and ask them how their day had
been...for a change.
"Let nothing be done through strife or
vain- glory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better
than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man
also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was
also in Christ Jesus." -Phillipians 2: 3,4,5.
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