I was a cute little girl. Yes really, I’m serious! When I look at my baby portrait or the toddler snapshots, I know it’s true! The picture from the photo booth, when I was four or so, shows a little girl with dark eyes and long, dark curls and she’s—pretty! I’m not sure how my mother made those curls, rolling them on rags, maybe? I do remember the painful combing-out process, and her telling me, “It hurts to be beautiful!” (So does that explain corsets and pointy-toed shoes with high heels? Maybe so.)
I don’t think my mother actually put a great deal of emphasis on “pretty” though. For one thing, fluffy dresses and white tights with black patent leather Mary Jane shoes would have been very hard to come by. And there wasn’t really any competition in prettiness! Cotton print dresses and brown oxfords that could be worn to school as well as church were more the norm for the little girls in my rural surroundings. Somewhere along the way, Mama made sure I understood, “Pretty is as pretty does.” She was saying, “Appearance isn’t everything. You are going to be judged by your behavior too. If what you do is pretty, you’re fine. But if what you do isn’t pretty, then you’re not really a very pretty girl after all.”
Jesus gave stern warning to those who only “pose” as pretty. “Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46 NASB) He then likens such pretenders to a carpenter who would be so foolish as to build a house without laying a foundation for it. When the floods come, the house—even though it’s pretty—collapses into great ruin. My mother’s simple instruction prepared me for the very grownup truth about hypocrisy.
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Scripture marked NASB is from the New American Standard Bible, used by permission of the Lockman Foundation.
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
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