Soul Deep Beauty

Esther Rolle on Good Times



Actress Esther Rolle

Once a friend of mine ridiculed me for thinking Esther Rolle, Florida on Good Times, was beautiful. Though she lived in the ghetto on TV with an angry husband, a buffoonish son and two other children who were in his shadow, I thought Florida was regal. She always held her perfectly shaped afro head high, had a dazzling smile that pronounced her high cheekbones, and beautifully smooth dark skin that looked good with her standard orange attire. When I asked her why she didn’t think Rolle was beautiful, she couldn’t tell me or didn’t want to tell me. See, her daddy told her just like mine told me that black is beautiful and good hair is any hair that you have on your head. She couldn’t tune her mouth to say that Rolle was ugly because she was dark and she had nappy hair. If she said this, she knew she would be saying that black isn’t beautiful and nappy hair ain’t good. She settled for “Wow, you believe that?” And I said, “Yep, I do” for all the reasons I said above and for the Bible scriptures below:

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.—Genesis 1:27

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through him and for him.—Colossians 1:16

And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.—Genesis 1:31

God, the creator of all things, was intentional when he created man—male and female—making us in His image and saw His creation as “very good.” Because of these verses, I can say with David “I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). I can say Rolle was fearfully and wonderfully made and so is the pale lady with the large blue eyes, the blue-black man with the straight hair, the tall scrawny kid with the freckled face, and the olive-skinned lady with the coarse wild mane. I say with David to God “Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” Like God’s intentional hand in making the physical me, my daddy had an intentional hand in making the soulish me. And I’ve searched and studied the Scriptures to mature the soulish me, to get my mind, will and emotions to agree that all of God’s creation is “very good.” This is soul deep beauty, transcending spiritual and politically correct talk and helping us walk out God’s truth. I hope we seek soul deep beauty for us and our children so we believers can hold up God’s standard and impact humanity for good.

Check out my new column in EEW Magazine that challenges parents to teach their children against dark-skin prejudice.

What have been your challenges to believe God’s beauty standards and not society’s beauty standards?

Copyright 2011 by Rhonda J. Smith

My One Thousand Gifts List

#81-90
Clean clothes to change into
A baby talking in his sleep who stayed asleep
Time talking to God in the night of morning
A strong desire for God’s company, direction
Being able to pay for a ticket and get a court date for other citations while on lunch break from trial
Getting to court only two minutes late
The trial evidence not being complicated
A group of friendly fellow jurors
A tasty lunch
Sunshine

Ugly Women?

What Do You Think? Wednesday

It is so important to know who we are in Christ:

  • A royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9)
  • A selected and treasured people (Titus 2:14)
  • An anointed people (2 Corinthians 1:21)
  • Fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)
  • An heir with Christ (Titus 3:7)
  • Made for good works (Ephesians 2:10)
  • Able to walk in wisdom, display the fruit of the Spirit, righteousness, and everything that is good (Colossians 4:5; Galatians 5:22-23; Romans 8:4; Philippians 4:13).
  • If we don’t know, we would be apt to snap back at this. This “scientific” article in a scientific magazine by a practicing scientist could make a recovering strong black woman stray from her path and put a brotha in his place. But I digress, suggest you read this (if you can get through it) and let me know what you think.

    Copyright 2011 by Rhonda J. Smith

    Be a World Changer

    Happy Black History Month, a time of reflecting on the history and happenings in the black world that impacts the whole world. So I ask you today: What are you doing that will change the world? Being a world changer is your Christian heritage. The world referred to Jesus’ disciples as those “that have turned the world upside down.” I want the same to be said of us. Let this talk transcend the days in February and spill into everyday to change the days we see, for Christ and His Kingdom.

    I’d love for you to comment on the blog about how you are changing or plan to change the world.

    For a little inspiration, check out these sites:

    Biography.com
    ClassBrain.com

    Copyright 2011 by Rhonda J. Smith

    Wasting Your Time

    Stop Being Niggardly, by Karen Hunter

    Why is it that when many of us give up an activity to lighten our schedule we end up replacing that activity with something new? Some of us are people pleasers. Others think we’re the only ones who can do it. Some just want to help out or simply just can’t resist the activity. On my break, when I was supposed to be completing a new writing project I discovered that I was tempted to replace my blogging time with something else. When I wanted to read a book or watch a movie, I reasoned: “Well, I write my blog in the morning and I don’t have to complete the devotionals in the morning.” I also took phone calls when I was supposed to be resting. I only slipped a couple of times, but I had to ask myself, “What was that all about?” I realized that I didn’t value my time. Continue reading

    Sherrod Charade

    As I have thought about the unfair treatment of Shirley Sherrod, I remembered my post on Equality vs. Fair Treatment. In white racists and angry white male sympathizers’ attempts to show that they, too, are not racists, both groups immediately condemned Sherrod for what they believed was equal to the discrimination some whites have been guilty of. Every situation is unique. That’s why I believe being treated fairly, not equal, should always be the goal. Read this Continue reading