Hey you, yes you. grab a glass of water,
sit in front of the mirror, and smile.
Even if you have nothing to smile about, try it,
you'll find something beautiful in you.

if you think you're ugly or having a bad hair day,

focus on your eyes. I think your eyes are beautiful.

Don't think so? think again; there is no such thing as ugly eyes.

Still, smiling?
STOP!
Now smile again.

Notice you're more beautiful when you smile.
Cool right?
It would be best if you tried it more :)

Are you scared of anything right now?
Are you stressed?
Take a sip of water.

Now before you wipe the water away,
see the drops of water on your lips.
Notice how they shine,
even in the tiniest bit of light.

They're just like you.
You shine, no matter what.
You'll put up a smile even though you're hurting
you'll shine even though you're bursting into tears.

How do I know?
Because you're still here, practicing self-care.

And you know self-care isn't selfish.
You know how to feel, and you know how to breathe.

You're shining,
and I'm very proud of you.

(please spread this message forward)

11-32. the main character in the parable, the forgiving father, whose character remains constant throughout the story, is a picture of god. in telling the story, jesus identifies himself with god in his loving attitude to the lost. the younger son symbolizes the lost (the tax collectors and sinners of that day, luke 15: 1), and the elder brother represents the self-righteous (the pharisees and teachers of the law of that day, luke 15: 2). the major theme of this parable seems not to be so much the conversion of the sinner, as in the previous two parables of luke 15, but rather the restoration of a believer into fellowship with the father. in the first two parables, the owner went out to look for what was lost (luke 15: 1-10), whereas in this story the father waits and watches eagerly for his son's return. we see a progression through the three parables from the relationship of one in a hundred (luke 15: 1-7), to one in ten (luke 15: 8-10), to one in one (luke 15: 11-32), demonstrating god’s love for each individual and his personal attentiveness towards all humanity. we see in this story the graciousness of the father overshadowing the sinfulness of the son, as it is the memory of the father’s goodness that brings the prodigal son to repentance (romans 2: 4).