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Writer's pictureQuycinda Leress

Stay Beautiful


A few years ago, in the summer of 2010, my son came to me and told me about something he overheard in a conversation between two of my neighbors who live on each side of me. Where I lived, at the time, there were more Caucasian people then other ethnicities. However, people of different races had lived in the neighborhood for a while. I had been in that home almost ten years. All this time, I had the same neighbors. Both families, the wives were almost hidden and the husbands were very distant, full of alcohol, and quite cold and aloof. The wives would speak or smile every now and then and the husbands would growl behind a smirk. It didn't take too much intelligence to see that the husbands were prejudice and the wives a bit embarrassed about it, yet they kept quiet.

My son overheard their racist remarks and comments about myself and another African American woman, whom they termed “fat ass”. They didn’t realize that my son could hear them through the back window. They didn’t realize that they may have been hurting someone’s feelings. They didn’t realize that they may have been fueling the innocence of my son and perpetuating a cycle with hatred against their own race. After this discussion, my natural sinful man looked for ways to vindicate my son’s feelings and my own anger. I sat and kindled with all types of scenarios to let them know what I knew and to tongue lash them with some harsh words.

Luke 12:3 Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the housetops for all to hear!

The more I thought about what to do and to say, the more anger and hatred began to take over me. However, the peace of the Lord continued to overcome the battle within. The Lord pressed upon me to “Stay Beautiful”. He let me see what the soul of a person is like when they are filled with anger, contempt, hatred, jealousy, rage, etc. He let me see, the black spots on their souls. You know how Cancer is a disease that can spread throughout the body? He showed me that all these negative feelings and emotions spread throughout the soul like wildfire with intent to kill the soul and eventually the body.

When most of us think about Forgiveness, we know deep inside that it’s a very hard thing. But something that we need to consider is to “Stay Beautiful”. For me to have gone and breathed a dragon fire upon my neighbors would do a few things: It would blacken my own soul to share in the darkness with them, putting me on the same level, putting me against God, and in turn fighting against my soul-self. Next, it would just perpetuate a cycle that wouldn’t end. In this instance, I control how far it goes. I also control whether my family would bring in the spirit of peace within our own household or the spirit of vengeance and hatred. By doing what the Lord said, I give my own life longevity, my own spirit peace, and I remain in good covenant with God. My neighbors make their own decisions in how they will seal their fate by their unfruitful behaviors. And if Satan is divided and fights against himself, how can he stand? He would never survive. (Mark 3:26) Racism and hatred can’t feel good to them because it didn’t feel good to me just imagining what could be done to them.

With the Lord in your life, once you begin to feel good with His joy, His peace, His wisdom, His justice, His beauty, His Spirit, and His ways of Goodness, you will work hard to keep the momentum. I don’t know about you but for me, I don’t like feeling bad anymore about anything. It’s not life everlasting. It kills and destroys the spirit of a person. Therefore, I’m telling you what the Lord told me, “Stay Beautiful”. Work your butt off to let no spiritual weapon, which is outside the light of God, come against you by no one and by no situation. You have control over your spiritual atmosphere, your personal and spiritual space. Let no person or situation move you from the light of God. People can do whatever they want to you but they can not control your spiritual space. NO ONE!!!!

I know you may not have experienced what I did but you have and will experience something that will have you feeling the same anger, hate, rage, etc. There is no doubt in that. But you will be committed to the Lord to “Stay Beautiful”. The scripture is the best recipe for coloring and fashioning your spirit. When you’re dressing yourself everyday, you put thought into what you will wear, how to put your hair, what shoes to wear, colors to wear, jewelry to put on, and more. Women go as far as selecting the right colors in their make-up; lip-gloss, eye shadow, eye-liner, etc... We all choose perfume and cologne based on our mood for the day. Do the same with scripture. Choose the scripture that feels good to you, that fills your spirit for the day, for the moment, for the situation… You will slowly see a change, a sweet change. People will notice your colors, the sweet or distinct classical aroma of your spirit. People will sense a beautiful spirit in which God recieves it's fragrance. They will see your beauty. You will add longevity to your life, as well as those around you.

Luke 11:36 If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light.”

John 3:21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants. ”

There’s enough darkness in this realm, it’s time to work against it. Beginning today, this day, no longer join forces with what’s dark. Walk in the Beauty of the Lord, the Light of the World, the Love of the Spirit, Jesus Christ. No longer let anyone take your beauty. STAY BEAUTIFUL!

John 8:12 Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

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