There once was an ugly duckling, whose feathers were dirty and grey. He was the last to be hatched. Even his mother rejected him. He was cackled at, and pecked at, and shunned, and finally driven out of town. The other ducks said, 'Quack, quack, get out of town. Quack, quack, get out! Quack, quack, get out! 
Quack, quack, get out of here!"
When a year had gone by, and three beautiful swans approached the ugly duckling, he shied away, thinking they would laugh and peck at him too. But they didn't. They swam round him, touching his neck with their beaks and admiring him. You know what? He wasn't ugly at all. He was a swan - and a very fine swan indeed!
Hans Christian Anderson wrote about a duckling who never quite fitted in. Maybe you feel like you don't fit in to this world. Maybe you've been laughed at or rejected. But the good news is you can fit into God's world. There's room for everyone: the big and the small, the rich and the poor, the old and the young, people of every colour, every nation.
HAPPY EVER AFTER?
We all know how fairytales end. And they lived (all together now) happily ever after...
But most of us find that real life doesn't often work like that. In fact, we're suspicious of anything that seems "too good to be true". So the offer of free forgiveness and eternal life that Jesus offers can seem like pie-in-the-sky make-believe. (If you were going to make up a religion, you'd come up with something a bit more plausible, right?)
But the wonderful truth is that it really is that simple. God loves you. And Jesus has dealt with all the things that stand between you and God. All we have to do is let Him in, let Him forgive and change us, and we can live with God for ever. A life that starts right now.
And that ain't no fairy tale.
Pray (talk to Him) like this:
Jesus, I want the new life that You can give. I'm sorry I've messed up, hurt people, hurt You. I want a fresh start. I know I can't do it myself, so thank you for dying to make a way for me.
If you prayed like this, get in touch with some local Christians who can help you on the next step or email: .
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