Ben Hooper's story

Watch out! people dashing across - I think this may apply at the Mexican border. I pinched this picture from the blog - "Out of Ur" a Blog written by some pastor in US.

An Inspiring Story

Ben Hooper was born in the foothills of East Tennessee. Ben’s mom never married, but this was during a time and cultural setting when single mothers and their children were ostracized and criticized. Other parents did not let their children play with the “bastard child.” As he grew older the kids mocked Ben with questions like, “Did you ever find out who your daddy is?” During elementary school, Ben stayed at his desk to avoid the playground where the attacks could be brutal to child’s self-esteem. At lunch Ben ate by himself.
It was big new whenever anything changed in the foothills, and one summer when Ben was twelve years, a new preacher came to town. Ben heard great things about the young pastor, and how he made everybody feel loved by God. One Sunday, though he had never attended church I his life, Ben decided to go hear the preacher. He slipped in late, sat in the back, and left early.
Each week Ben was mysteriously drawn to hear more about the loving God who sent His only begotten Son to save the world. On about the sixth week the message was so engaging that Ben forgot to leave early. When the service ended, others had clogged the aisle preventing Ben’s quick escape. As he was making his way out, Ben felt a hand upon his shoulder. Turning around, he look up and saw the smiling face of the new preacher who asked the question Ben feared most, “Hey young man, whose child are you?”
All the noise stopped. Everyone turned to look at Ben. Ben’s heart sank. His mind was racing, “Not you too. I thought you were different. How can I get out of here?” Before Ben could say a word, the preacher smiled and said, “I know whose boy you are. I can see the family resemblance. You are a child of God!” Then the preacher patted Ben on the back and said, “That’s quite an inheritance you’ve got. Now go and live up to it!”
Ben said that day changed his life. At a small country church in Tennessee, he was elected into the family of God and later reelected as the governor of Tennessee. He was not just a kid without a father. He was a child of the heavenly Father. Like Ben Hooper when we learn who we are in Christ, it changes everything. When we attach more value to what God says than what others say, we begin climbing the mountain of divine blessing.