I AM PRETTY

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I AM PRETTY!
By Coach Dreama Kelly, MA-HSC


Psalm 139: 14
"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:  marvelous are thy works; and my soul knoweth right well.” (KJV).

Genesis 1:27
“So God created humans in His image…” (GWT).

I remember as an overweight-teenager having people, mostly older, silly, clueless people, tell me “You are so pretty for a fat girl!” or “You have a pretty face”…and without fail my response was “Yep, pretty ugly and pretty apt to stay that way”…but in my heart, to be truthful and now old enough to not really care about being ridiculed, I did think I was pretty.   I had a kind heart, a quick retort for anyone wanting to put me down for not being a size 9 or under, and I knew that as a Christian, I had a lot to offer to the world; so yeah, I did think I was pretty.  So why the self-abased response?

Self-doubt. Uncertainty. Shyness. Low self-esteem. A misunderstanding of who I was in Christ.  Not knowing the difference between being pretty and being cute.  It was these things and more…a lot more.  But today, with irreversible signs of aging ranging from shifting teeth to age spots, stretch marks and venous legs, I will say in a shout:  I AM PRETTY…and scarier yet, I actually mean it.  My physical scars and unattractive traits mean absolutely nothing when compared to the traits from God which are being renewed within me daily; molding me into His image.   The love I have for others proves that: I AM PRETTY; the compassion I have for my fellow man indicates:  I AM PRETTY; the ability to see potential instead of problems supports:  I AM PRETTY; the fact that I am made in the image of God maintains that:  I AM PRETTY…and so are you or you can be! 

In a world of selfies, selfie sticks, Instagram, and Twitter; not to mention Facebook and blogs galore, it is easy to see that a lot of people consider themselves cute; but here is the difference:  at 47-years-of-age with my “good years” well behind me, I maintain that I AM PRETTY and aging can only take that away if I let it.  Being pretty is not about posting a cute selfie which results in a 100+ likes on Facebook. Being pretty takes the whole being into consideration, the body, soul, and spirit.  So ask yourself:  Am I pretty?  Do I care more about others than I care for my own comfort? Does the state of our nation cause me grief? Can I be counted on to be a positive support for my community? Can my family, friends, co-workers, and church body count on me to pray for them? Do I care enough to take a stand for what I believe in? Can I love unconditionally?  Can I give the world a smile?  If you can truthfully answer “YES!” to these questions, then grab your phone or tablet and take an “I AM PRETTY” selfie and post it for the world to see and change it up and bit by proclaiming “I AM PRETTY!” and let the world know that there are genuine pretty people out there! Let’s start a revolution of good news, positive images, and I dare all you pretty people out there to shout with a sincere heart “I AM PRETTY!” 

Numbers 6:24-26 (NIV)
“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace."

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