Pretty is as pretty does. There isn't a day that passes where Shelley
Giglio doesn't think about this well-worn statement, shared with her by
a dear grandmother who had figured out that God isn't interested in our
appearance, whether that be our outer physique or the public persona we
curate for people online. God isn't confused or amused by our ability to
portray to people the life we wish we lived.
Instead of viewing us as who we pretend to be, God--despite all of our
best efforts to show the world only a portion of us or something we're
not--is staring at our true hearts. He knows...
Every intent.
Every compromise.
Every jaded bit of our thinking and habits of self-preservation.
Every pretty and unpretty thing about us.
He knows our desires and our wants. He understands our complexity and
our concerns. His compassion for us runs deep in spite of his
understanding of us. It truly is the greatest miracle of all that
although he sees us in full, he loves us without condition.
So, every time Shelley would leave the company of her mother and
grandmother, her precious Mama would say, "Remember, pretty is as pretty
does." These challenging words echoed around in Shelley's brain for
years to come. What could this mean? Over time, Shelley learned that
the point of her grandmother's statement was not that God wishes us to
be homely and unkempt; instead, "Pretty is as pretty does" means
something else.
For her family, it means that God considers a beautiful person one who
first understands that Jesus truly is the lover of our souls, and second
aligns their life with his priorities for us instead of the world's
priorities for us. In other words, a person who actually does God's
will is beautiful to him.
This is a monumental shift in thinking for all believers. This truth and
all of its implications, down into the fabric of our lives, will
substantially alter the time and focus of our self-investment today and
radically change our future, because of our commitment to align
ourselves with his heart and build our lives on his values.
