I went to a painter asking for a portrait of myself.

I am not a pretty person or a great good person.

But I wanted to leave something behind after I was gone.

He said nothing but started painting with a smile on his face.

As he softly and patiently brushed every stroke, he hardly looked at me.

Wondering if he will ever get my features right, I stammered:

“Sir! You hardly see me. Can you draw me perfectly?”

Smiling he said, “Be still my child. I have you in my mind.”

After a while he smiled and kept aside his brush.

I looked at him earnestly anxious of how I would look.

“It is done. Do you wanna see?” he asked.

I nodded. Nervous and curious, I slowly walked up to him.

Only to find a picture of a beautiful lovely girl.

The lines of anger, marks of worries visible on my face were replaced by a look of innocence and peace.

It was nothing I looked like but yet it was me.

Smiling, I asked him “Sir, is this what I looked like?”

Saying nothing he just took me to a mirror.

“No, this is what you look like” he said.

I saw myself looking sad, jealous, arrogant and selfish.

Saddened by his words and by what I saw, tears swelling up, I stammered “But the portrait…….”

He smiled and said “The portrait is how I designed you to be.

This is how I want you to be remembered. The way I designed you”

Now sobbing I asked, “Sir, how can I look like this again? What is the price I have to pay?”

Smiling he stretched out his hands and said, “My child I already paid the price for you on the cross”

I understood now. I fell on my knees crying “Jesus! I wanna be how you made me to be.

Make me how you want me to be. For you do not see who I am but what I could be”

God bless you all!