Living in another culture is hard. You try so hard to fit in, but you never really do. Some days are better than others, some times you don't feel quite so isolated as you do in other times; but there is always a feeling, underneath it all, that you don't belong. There's always some underlying sentiment that you are, in effect, an ugly duckling.
Sometimes that's a literal feeling - cultural images of beauty vary vastly, and while you may be considered lovely in your own culture, it's quite possible that you are just the opposite in another one. But more often you become a figurative ugly duckling - a misfit, an outcast, someone who does not belong here. Misunderstandings and poor communication abound. The feeling of isolation and loneliness can sometimes be suffocating.
God's word is full of ugly ducklings, too. But the beautiful thing is that they're not really ugly ducklings. They are kings, queens, warriors, and conquerors. They are the ones that the history books are written about. Perhaps that's why God emphasizes the communion of saints so much. No matter where you are, you can always feel at home. In God's kingdom, there are no ugly ducklings - only beautiful swans.
Sometimes that's a literal feeling - cultural images of beauty vary vastly, and while you may be considered lovely in your own culture, it's quite possible that you are just the opposite in another one. But more often you become a figurative ugly duckling - a misfit, an outcast, someone who does not belong here. Misunderstandings and poor communication abound. The feeling of isolation and loneliness can sometimes be suffocating.
God's word is full of ugly ducklings, too. But the beautiful thing is that they're not really ugly ducklings. They are kings, queens, warriors, and conquerors. They are the ones that the history books are written about. Perhaps that's why God emphasizes the communion of saints so much. No matter where you are, you can always feel at home. In God's kingdom, there are no ugly ducklings - only beautiful swans.
Jude 1:24-25
24 To him who is able to
keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence
without fault and with great joy— 25
to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority,
through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore!
Amen. 
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