Recently, I came across a shirt of mine labeled with the tag "Pretty Necessities".
Pretty Necessities
After moments of thought, I said "how ridiculous". I began to consider how most things that are PRETTY are not NECESSITIES. MOST things that are NECESSITIES are not "PRETTY". The issue is that many spend their life confusing the two.
The wants and the needs.
The glitz versus the goals.
What makes them happy versus what they need to succeed. In fact, they spend their life in hopes of gaining what they believe are "pretty necessities". You see, as I've gotten older I still desire the pretty. The money, the vacations, the nice clothes, the promotions...the easy life. However, the necessary is what gives me true joy. Personal growth, close friendships, fulfilling God's will, health, love, inspiring others... I've come to recognize that attaining THESE aren't "necessarily pretty". In fact, at times maintaining these things requires sacrifice, obedience, and patience. It can get ugly fast. However, the more I walk into what God calls "necessary", the more He brings the beauty. And those things that were once just a necessity, becomes the starting point of my transformation. It gets no prettier than that. Jeremiah 29:11 says "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. In other words, He will always lead us to do things that are for our benefit. Even if it doesn't seem so pleasing in the moment, it all has purpose. If He's calling you to do it, it is necessary! And the more we follow His words, the more beauty we will find in our life.
Much like the person who first starts their fitness journey, it starts ugly BUT it ends with a healthier lifestyle. Or the one who steps out into the new career, it starts scary BUT it ends in success.
To the one who chooses to let go of toxic friendships, it starts frustrating but promotes growth. My friends, it's time to embrace ALL we hear the Lords calling for us to do. He truly makes it all work together for our good. He will never call us to do anything that would end in our ruin. Every step we make towards growing deeper in Him and following His lead will end beautiful. And I find the more I listen in the necessities, the more He brings in the "pretty".
Thus, our God is the author of the true pretty necessities that we should all desire! Embrace it! There is great victory is following His lead through the pretty and the necessary!