Outside Beauty Don't Count

By C. T. George

Once upon a time, I didn’t believe everything was going to be all right, but now I do. I believe we are going to be all right—Mom and me. We’ve found two friends: Jesus and Ophelia. I can’t begin to tell you how special they are to us. Through Ophelia, we found Jesus. She told us that Jesus said, “I’ll never leave you nor forsake you. I will be with you even to the end of time.” Thinking about and looking back at what we have gone through and still have to go through, I believe he is going to be with us.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: May 7, 2022
• ISBN: 9781639612765

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Outside Beauty Don't Count

C. T. George

Copyright © 2022 by C. T. George

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

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Your beauty should not come from outward adornments, such as elaborate hairstyles, and wearing of gold jewelry, or fine clothes.

Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.

—1 Peter 3:3–4

1

As I sat alone in the back of the room (as usual) and ate my lunch, I heard a sweet little voice say, May I sit here with you? I was surprised to hear someone say with you. That had not been said to me in almost eighteen months, well, not since I got out of the trauma center.

I looked up, and there stood this young lady with a big pretty smile on her face. I said, You may if you wish, but I’m sure you won’t be here very long. Others don’t sit very long.

She said, "Well, my name is not others. My name is Ophelia, and my friends call me Phelia. You may call me that too if you’d be a friend. I’ve notice that you’re always eating alone. Why? Wouldn’t it be better to sit with the crowd, laugh, and talk to others?"

Yes, I said, it would be better, feel better too if the others would sit with me, but because of my accident, to others I’m just a nobody, a nothing, a something that turns others’ stomachs. I’m not very good to look at, so people keep away from me.

Well, I won’t, said Ophelia. I treat others like I’d like to be treated. I can’t look down on you because then Jesus will look down on me, and I don’t need that to happen. While smiling, she said, What are we eating? I have hamburger dip, chips, and homemade doughnuts. Would you like to join me? I’d like it if you would, then we could spend that time talking.

Sure, I said. My name is Jarius. I’m an only child. No daddy anymore, Mother is in the rest home, and I now live in a little shed since we’ve lost everything we had to fire. We almost lost our lives, as you can see.

Phelia said, Fires can be nasty. The heat from it can be good or very nasty. That’s why I’m trying to keep from going to hell when I die. I’m told that that fire is worse than the fire that we have here. Speaking of dying, have you received the Lord Jesus in your life? I know that’s a personal question, but have you?

No, I said, I don’t see the need.

She looked at me real weird while almost screaming and said, You don’t see the need? She just sat there looking at me. Lots and lots of people have looked at me. I suppose you could say they’ve looked at me every way a person could be looked at, but the look that Ophelia had now, I’d never ever seen.

She finally said, Do you know that God saved you for a very special reason? Only you will be told what that reason is. I’m sort of hurt to hear you say you don’t see the need. Have you never been told of Jesus’s unending love he has for each one of us? He loves us in spite of, not because of. And you sit here and tell me you don’t see the need. Very, very soon I’m going to explain to you why you should. I’d like to do it now, but we don’t have the time, but I will tell you this—if Jesus didn’t love you, you’d be gone already. He kept you here for a reason. It’s time for us to go back to work, so we’ll talk tomorrow. Lunch on me. Okay?

For the first time in almost two years, I had something to look forward to, a tomorrow with a wish. I was so excited I could hardly keep still. Working felt good; walking felt good. I felt so good I began to talk to myself. I don’t think I ever felt like this before. All the things I’ve done, the people I’ve talked to, the places I’ve been, nothing has ever made me feel this good before. It could be because I haven’t really talked to anyone in such a long time.

When people do talk to me, they want to know, What in hell happened to you? That’s what they ask. When I tell them I was in an accident, they walk off cursing. A few have made the statement, I’d rather be dead than to live looking like that. A few times, I’ve made the same comment. Sometimes I tell myself, I want to die, but then I think about my mother. What will happen to her? What would happen to me if she’d go? We are all each other has. Mom is an only child too.

I made myself stop thinking about what-ifs. I started to look at when. When tomorrow comes, I’ll eat lunch with Ophelia, and we will talk to each other. When will I feel like myself again? What will we talk about? Wonder if she wants to know what really happened to me to make me look like Freddy Krueger, as some teenagers now call me. I don’t get upset anymore, because I do look like a black Freddy Krueger.

Sometimes I think of my past self, but then I block it out my mind because of how bad it hurt. Now I had a future dream—a young lady that made plans to spend some time with me.

I finally went to sleep. It seemed like time I got to sleeping good, it was time to get up and get ready for work. This day I didn’t mind getting up. I felt like I had a reason to get up. This day I couldn’t get ready fast enough. I rushed through my washup, I rushed through brushing my teeth, and I rushed putting on my clothes. I didn’t have to worry about combing my hair. That’s all gone anyway.

When I got to work, I realized that I was the first person there, so I sat in the break room waiting for others to arrive. I knew I didn’t have to worry about anyone bothering me. Because I looked so bad to others, no one even came close to me.

After a little while, in walked Ophelia. She walked right up to me and said, Good morning. How are you today? I brought you something to eat just in case you didn’t eat yet. I don’t know what you ate or didn’t eat. I got you the same thing I got for myself—a cup of hot vanilla milk, two strips of bacon, and a warm muffin.

I was shocked. I was really shocked. I was so shocked I almost forgot to say thank you. I just dove in and started eating, remembering that I didn’t have any supper/dinner last night and no breakfast this morning either. I looked over at Ophelia, and she had her head bowed, saying grace. I felt really stupid that I didn’t think to do that. First of all, I never did before. I didn’t say thank you to anyone before either, because I felt like they should say it to me.

When Ophelia finished saying grace, I was already finished. I still sat there with her. We talked in between spoonfuls of food. I didn’t ask too many questions because I really didn’t want to bother her while she ate. She asked about my mother. Did you go visit her today? How bad did she get hurt? Will she be able to recover from her injuries?

As I answered each of her questions, I began to feel a hurt feeling in my stomach and tears filling up in my eyes. I didn’t want Ophelia to see them, so I turned my head. I think this was really the first time I felt like crying. I didn’t before because I thought it was wimpy for a man to cry.

Well now, said Ophelia, that’s over with. Now I guess we can go to work. What are you doing this evening after work? Today is my giving day at the rest home, and I’d love to have you join me if you have nothing else planned. What’d you say?

I said, Sure, why not? What do you mean, your giving day?

She said she went to the rest home and gave out little treats, hugs, help, and advice; addressed envelopes; combed hair; or whatever was needed of her. The people look forward to her coming. She was their little girl.

I told her, I must know, why are you wasting your time at a rest home when you could be at the park or at the mall or doing something else? What’s up with that?

She looked at me and said, I don’t put self first. I come in third. God first, others second, and then me.

I couldn’t believe what I just heard. It did start me to thinking, though. I’ve always put myself first, never even thought about God, Jesus, or others, sometimes my mom but not too often. It was always about me. To me, I’m the most important one there is. I’ve always said, Me first. Me only. Me, me, me.

I heard Ophelia saying, Are you all right? You look like you’re in another world.

Yes, I said, I was just thinking about something. I was thinking about me. I don’t see how you could put others before yourself. You should come first.

Who told you that? she asked. What can you do or give to others? Who are you except another person that needs Jesus? Think about it. Let’s go to work. I’ll see you later, around five o’clock, if you’re going with me. Meet me at the back door. See you.

We went to our different posts, and I had this odd, odd feeling about myself. I started looking at myself through someone else’s eyes except my own. I must admit I didn’t like what I saw. I decided that I’d ask Ophelia what she thought of me.

I must be man enough to accept the answer she will give me. I’m asking for her opinion. Even if it’s not what I want to hear, I must accept it.

This whole day seemed to be standing still. I could hardly wait to