Whatever happened to cute? (standard:Inspirational stories, 914 words)
Author: Godspenman	Added: Dec 03 2011	Views/Reads: 4029/0	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage had commandeered the Christmas decorating operation for yet another year. I am not quite sure how she remembers when to start all of this, because the thought had not yet entered my mind.

The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage had commandeered the Christmas
decorating operation for yet another year. I am not quite sure how she 
remembers when to start all of this, because the thought had not yet 
entered my mind. 

Here it is Christmas and I am about as prepared for Christmas this year
as I was last year. One of the great things about my wife is that she 
keeps all of these holidays in order and on time. I am still reeling 
from my Thanksgiving Day turkey indulgence. 

Once again, our home is in decorating mode. My great contribution to the
Christmas holiday decorating plan is to keep out of my wife's way. One 
year I tried to help her and let's just say we will not repeat that 
again. I just have no decorating expertise at all. I cannot tell the 
difference between a wrapping bow and a Christmas tree bulb. 

Before I could get out of the way of the decorating frenzy in our home,
I ran across something in the back of a box. How it got there, I have 
no way of knowing. How I got up this morning, I have no way of knowing 
either. However, there was a photo album from when I was a young 
person. 

I want to stress the fact that there was a time when I was a young
person. We will not discuss how long ago that was, but just know that 
there was a time in my illustrious career when I was a young person. 

I opened up the album and saw all of those photographs from when I was a
young person. The photograph that really caught my attention was one 
taken before I was one year old. I had forgotten this photo. Of course, 
I have no recollection of when that photo was taken. I was about nine 
months old and I was mostly occupied with the rascal who confiscated my 
bottle. 

I had simple concerns at that time. I was not worried for example about
world affairs, politics or the economy. As long as I knew where my next 
bottle was coming from, I was a happy little camper in a diaper. I miss 
those days of naivety. I am looking forward someday returning to that 
state of mind. 

I delighted looking at all of those pictures of what's was supposed to
be me when I was very young. Then I found a picture I had completely 
forgotten about. 

It is valuable at times to go back and relive the past. I know you
cannot really relive the past, but you can look at the past and see how 
far you have come. Photographs are a marvelous way of reliving the 
past. These were the old black and white photographs, so you know how 
long ago that was. 

The photo that really caught my attention was when I was very young. I
believe this is the first photo ever taken of me. It was in the year of 
our Lord 1951 and I was nine months old. Looking at that picture I had 
to admit to myself that I really was a cute little guy. 

It was a black-and-white photo but my mother had carefully colored it
with crayons. She did a marvelous job but then she had a great piece of 
work to begin with, if I say so myself. 

The important thing about this photo was it was a picture of me, but it
was also a picture of the winner of the cutest baby award in our 
community in 1951. I had won a beauty award when barely 9 months old. 
How many people can boast about that? 

I really do not know any of the details of that beauty contest. After
all, every nine-month-old baby is cute. I really do not think I was the 
cutest baby but then again I won the title and I have the picture in my 
hand. 

Unfortunately my beauty career peak then and it has been on a downward
slide ever since. I have the skid marks to prove it. 

After looking at that picture for a while, went into the bathroom and
looked into the mirror. What a shock. I could not see any resemblance 
in the mirror to anything in the picture. It would be a stretch for 
anybody to say that the two pictures were of the same person. 

When anybody says that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder I would
like to correct them and say that beauty is in the hands of the holder 
of a picture of the baby who won the cutest baby award in 1951. 

In the years since that picture was taken, I have lived quite a bit and
Father Time has carved his initials on my face. I can honestly say I am 
not the same person in that photo. What innocence then. What naivety. 
There in that photo was a person who had not yet experienced the lumps 
of life yet. 

The verse of Scripture that has encouraged me throughout my life has
been Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV), "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and 
lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, 
and he shall direct thy paths." 

Life is full of ups and downs, gains and losses but in the end, those
who trust Christ are marvelously guided throughout life and enjoy life 
of blessing to the Lord. 


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