Pretty is as Pretty Does

A dear saint, my mama, used to say to me when I felt less than pretty or radiant “Pretty is as pretty does!” Honestly, that annoyed me because I could only see a freckled face, brown dish-water colored hair, the skinniest, flat chested teenager in all the world. All my friends seemed to have come into their own flawless selves, complete with all the curves I DIDN’T have. Even way back then, it was ALL about appearance, and MY appearance, in my opinion, sure didn’t measure up. But THEN, came my relationship with God that soared, and that stinkin’ thinkin’ lost its priority in my life. Thank God I improved with age – in wisdom, self-esteem and realizing what true beauty was all about. Psalm 34:5 says "Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame." Aw! That's the radiance I want. Radiance means: sending out light; shining or glowing brightly, characterized by intense joy. There are many ways to fix a girl up and make her look pretty, but it is the inner beauty that God looks for. My saintly mom really got it right when she said, “Pretty is as pretty does.” It even holds true today. It is what we do that defines us. A woman OR man who loves, trusts and lives their life with values, standards and has a heart toward God ensures that their lives are beautiful from the inside out. A woman OR man after God’s own heart, who has deep trust and faith in Him is most grateful for God’s praises of her/him. AND those praises from God and the inner peace and joy that come from their relationship with Him produces that radiance that others are drawn to and want to know that “radiance" beauty secret. I remember, as a young bride, I would hear someone say to me, “You look RADIANT!” Again, as a mother-in-waiting for my newborn baby to arrive I’d hear “You are just glowing!" What was that glow about? It was an almost heavenly joy and thrill of great expectation, hope and happiness. I've witnessed that firsthand. I’ve seen people praying or praising God and their faces shined beyond normal. When I am in prayer, there are times that I feel radiant. I know what it is to have had the consolation of being totally absorbed in God and forgetting about myself. I felt like I was glowing. Jesus told his disciples that “the righteous will shine like the sun.” (Matthew 13:43) “Shining like the sun” is quite the SHINE, and for the most part, we are LIGHT bearers because Christ lives in us and His RADIANCE shines through us as we reach out to others in love, as we share His peace, joy and comfort, as we rise and SHINE and give God the glory for his goodness and His mercy. Need self-esteem? “Pretty is as pretty does.” Lean into God. The closer and tighter we get to Him the more we'll take on the “family” resemblance and they'll see the radiance of Who lives big in us!