Reflections

Tegan paused the video on her phone and held the screen up as she gazed into the mirror. She had worked a long time trying to get her hair to look like the young woman's in the online tutorial. Tegan turned toward her sister. "Do I look like her?"Sienna shrugged. "A little, maybe. Come on--we've got to go. Mom and Dad are waiting." The girls hurried out to the car.On the way to the lake, Tegan mentioned the girl in the tutorial again. "She's so beautiful," she said, staring at her phone. "And she has tons of followers too. Lots of people watch her videos on hair and makeup and buy her stuff. She must be rich!" Tegan sighed. "I wish I could be like her. She probably has a really exciting life.""Maybe she does, but remember that fame and fortune aren't all they're cracked up to be, Tegan," said Mom. "People who are rich and famous have problems just like the rest of us, and some of them have really difficult lives." Soon they were enjoying a picnic lunch at the lakeshore. "The lake is so lovely," Mom said as they munched on chicken sandwiches. "Look how blue it is.""The water isn't really blue though," said Dad. "The lake is reflecting the blue sky." After eating, they did some hiking. "It looks like rain," Dad said when he noticed the gathering clouds. "We'd better go."As they got in the car, Mom pointed toward the water. "Look at the lake now.""Wow! It isn't very pretty anymore," said Tegan. "It sure isn't blue now--it's gray. What made it change so much?""It still reflects the sky, but now the sky is cloudy," Dad explained."That reminds me of what we were talking about in the car," Mom said. "It's not a bad thing to be rich or famous, but if that's our main purpose in life and we idolize people who have money or fame, our lives are going to look cloudy and gray. But if we look to Jesus for our worth and purpose, our lives will reflect His beauty. He died on the cross and rose again to save us--rich and poor alike. We all need the reflection of His love and peace in our lives." -Katherine R. Adams