Its Not All About Being Pretty

People, especially Women and Girls, are obsessed with being PRETTY these days. It does not help that  celebrities are making careers out of their Pretty and society and the media has embedded in our minds that anything less than Pretty is useless. As I flip through the channels on my TV and read people's Facebook and Twitter pages I often say to myself "Umph if they only knew", "Its Not All About Being Pretty!" 

I remember the first time God showed me that there was a whole lot more to life than being Pretty. It was back in high school and I was running for Miss Northwestern. At my high school in addition to having traditional Queens like Prom Queen and Homecoming Queen that reigned for One Night Only, Miss Northwestern reigned All Year Long, so to me this was a more prestigious title. Now this was not something that I thought about doing once I got to high school, but I had look forward to it since 1994-1995 when my uncle's girlfriend at the time held the title. I still remember the day she came to my house wearing that beautiful white gown. I just knew that I was going to one day be wearing one as well. 

However, like most things in life God had other plans for me. Despite an awesome campaign filled with hats, buttons, T-Shirts and Flyers I LOST. I was CRUSHED (which is probably a complete understatement for the pain I felt)!! I cried and despite the comfort of my best friend I was heartbroken and just did not understand how I lost. I mean after all I was sooooooo much PRETTIER than the girl that won! It was because of thoughts like that that God began to deal with me and show me that IT IS NOT ALL ABOUT BEING PRETTY and boy did He show me. My senior year I ran for Homecoming Queen and LOST. I was nominated for most attractive and LOST that as well. The Pretty girl just kept on losing!!

I realized that God was showing me that because I believed I should have won all these things based on my Pretty was in fact the reason why I lost. God has shown me that it is okay to embrace and love my Pretty because that is how He created me, but that is not the person He created me to be. He created a Proverbs 31 woman that is praised because of her "noble character" and her "faithfulness to God, her family and community." This woman wears a crown because she fearfully obeys the Spirit of God and not because of her Pretty. 

God has created all of us in his BEAUTIFUL image. But it is when we let our Pretty define us and we think that it is the BEST thing we have going for us that it becomes a PROBLEM. Yes some may be attracted to us by what they see on the outside, but if there is no INNER PRETTY what is on the outside will be WORTHLESS. Our INNER PRETTY is the sweet smelling fragrance thats radiates from the inside and is what TRULY counts. It is the fragrance that draws people to us and causes them to want to know more about us. It is the sustenance of who we REALLY are. All the tools God has given us to be successful in life lies within us and not on the surface. He has fearfully and wonderfully made us from the inside out and not the other the way around. Therefore, it should be our Inner Pretty that we are to work on beautifying everyday.   

Therefore, I challenge you to ignore (not neglect) the person that you see in the mirror and began to embrace and nurture the Inner Pretty that God has given you and allow people to see what lies beyond your Pretty. As the bible says charm can be deceiving, and beauty fades away, but a woman who honors the Lord deserves to be praised.

Stay Tuned For More of What Lies Beyond My Pretty!!