Your Beauty In God’s Eyes: A Review of Erica Campbell’s More Than Pretty

Back in March of this year, I listened to More Than Pretty by Erica Campbell. Remember Erica? One of the sisters in the duo Mary Mary? Remember when we thought both their names were Mary? LOL. Some people were actually surprised that their names weren’t Mary. My response to that was, “But Tony Toni Tone aren’t the real names of those members.”
 
Anywho… I can’t call myself a huge Mary Mary fan, but I like some of their songs and renditions of classics. What woman hasn’t gotten dressed listening to God In Me a few times? So of course, More Than Pretty caught my eye. I was curious about what this Christian vocalist would have to say about beauty, and it was refreshing to hear some of the ideals I was raised on. Many Christians get wrapped up in this idea that it’s okay to walk around looking plain or even unkempt. I was not raised with this notion. I was taught that if I believed that God was in me, then my body was a temple, and the temple needed to be clean, taken care of, and appropriately adorned. Everything about me was God-given, and so there was no reason to be ashamed of it. I don’t know why some find it necessary to separate God and beauty. As Shug said in The Color People, “I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field and don’t notice it…” Do they really believe God made us beautiful and put all this beauty around us to not appreciate it. Huge difference between appreciating and worship, I might add. So perhaps it’s a matter of self-control. Those who start off appreciating end up worshipping. I don’t know.
 
This was the gist of Erica’s message as she discussed her own epiphanies about her looks and her purpose. Beauty and talent are God-given. Appreciate your beauty and use your talent. Simple. Taking care of yourself and living in your purpose are ways of being honest with yourself and, above all, honoring God. When you’re caught up in what others may think about you living in your truth, you risk missing out on what God has in store for you. God created us with three elements: mental, physical, and spiritual. We should be in tune with all three if the goal is to honor God. Striving for perfection could take us off our paths. Be human, be yourself, and you won’t lose your way on the path to what God has for you.
 
Erica’s anecdotes were interesting, funny, enlightening, and realistic. She didn’t preach from a high point as a celebrity Christian. She shared and made me, the reader, feel like I was hearing from a sister at a women’s retreat. Initially, I wasn’t thrilled about her reading style. She sounded like she was reading and not narrating. There surely is a difference. Eventually, she relaxed into her narration style, and her message came through. Jesus drank wine too, so I gave it five glasses. LOL. In all seriousness, though, if you’re ever doubting your faith and purpose, this is a solid read.