Kenya Divas

The other day just as we sat down for dinner my nine year old daughter began laughing like she does when she remembers a funny incident that happened earlier. “Can you imagine God walking down a cat walk” she asked me through her laughter. I was just about to chastise her for having such irreverent thoughts when she explained her question by asking another question. “Why do we say that God is beautiful if we have never seen Him, and if it is Jesus we are talking about, won’t we say he is handsome not beautiful’.

Her words got me thinking. It was a wonderful Deuteronomy 6:7-8 moment (teaching our children about God when we are working, resting e.t.c). I tried translating beauty into Kiswahili – ‘mrembo’ but I have never heard us sing a Swahili chorus about a mrembo God, I don’t think we have a direct translation for songs such as “Beautiful Saviour”– so just what is beautiful about our God if its not urembo.

In order to teach her I had to learn and understand the beauty of God and what that means to us – we are made in God’s image so if God is beautiful we must also be beautiful. What sort of beauty are we talking about here?

I am sure we all know someone we consider beautiful. I have even heard some couples being described as a beautiful couple. We look at scenes and talk about a beautiful sunset, a beautiful landscape e.t.c. What is it that makes something/ one beautiful? We may not agree with polls that conclude that so and so is the most beautiful woman in the world or some of the so called high fashion beautiful people, but there are some universal measures for beauty.

Does our God fit into these measures? Is it because he is so serene, comforting, has an understanding of the use of colour? I can think of divas who may not be beautiful in the conventional sense but because they have the characteristics of a serene sunset are very beautiful. The vice versa is also true – we know women who may be beautiful if only they could be more like gentle rain than a thunderstorm.

But let’s look at the God whose image we are made in and how we can be beautiful people serving a beautiful God.

I came across some wise words recently:-


How come couples who have been married to each other end up looking like each other? The same is true of our walk with God. If we are to be more like our beautiful God whose image we are made in we need to spend quality time with Him as we decrease and He increases in us. 

God’s Holiness is one of the attributes that makes our God beautiful. This is the attribute that sets God apart from all other created beings. It refers to His majesty and His perfect moral purity. Exodus 15:11 says “Who is like you among the gods, Oh Lord? Who is like you, majestic in holiness…” I have never thought that holiness could be majestic. We usually relate holiness more to humbleness than majesty. Can we as divas cloth ourselves with the robe of holiness and majestically walk through our time on this earth as we trust Him to lead us to a life of moral purity?

When we go around carrying baggage – un forgiveness, un confessed sins, guilt, worry about tomorrow e.t.c we end up losing the beauty that comes from trusting our Lord and Saviour, we are like a young lady in her 30s who looks so old as a result of bearing heavy loads of firewood, water, maize meal.

There is a joke doing the rounds about a woman who justifies her spending time worrying because she believes that she has succeeded in worrying her troubles away as most of the things she has worried about never come to pass.

Phil 4:6-7 teaches us to be anxious about nothing and the peace of God that cannot be understood will be ours and I can add that with this peace will come unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit that is precious in God’s sight (1 Peter 3:4).

I met a friend that I had not seen for a long time. As we talked there was something different about her, as she emphasized using her left hand. She was engaged and looking forward to her wedding sometime later in the year. I noticed something different, not just the weight of her beautiful engagement ring but she was truly in love, she was glowing radiantly and a smile was never far off.

Our God is a God of love. I John 4: 7-8. We have no excuse not to love and if we love like our Father those around us should see the beauty of our God reflected in us. I would like to suggest that joy and love is what makes all brides beautiful brides – not just the beautiful gowns and make up. As God’s brides awaiting His return we should be beautiful people serving a beautiful God.



I have a calendar hanging in my living room. The calendar is an advertisement for a company that makes paint. Their new slogan is “The beauty of transformation”.  All of us can be transformed. Wherever we are in our walk with God we can turn more to Him, hear Him more by spending more time in His presence, reflecting less of us and more of Him, living joyful lives of moral purity and holiness i.e. beautiful people serving a beautiful God.

I hope at end of our discussion my daughter understood that while we owe it to God to care well for all His creation, starting with our selves (eat well, shower daily, dress well, use colour and make up e.t.c) the most important beauty is the beauty in the heart and the spirit which is precious to God and those around us will see this inner beauty reflected in our outer selves.

Cathy Okumali