by Joanie Butman
Glow up is my new term for the week. Spending time with teenagers this summer has given me a brief glimpse into pop culture. It also evoked a sigh of relief that I am well past the teenage years with my own children. Regardless, one of them inquired as to when my glow up occurred. For those of you as clueless as me, urban dictionary defines glow up as a mental, physical, and an emotional transformation for the better. Glow ups can be both natural or planned. As well as being gradual and permanent, or fast and temporary. In the strictest sense, it describes the journey through puberty to adulthood. However, it’s most frequently used in regard to outward appearance and transformative makeup tips and beauty regimens. My great niece described it as becoming your best self.
I’ve been through lots of glow ups during the course of my life, but I’m still hopeful my best self will emerge soon before it’s too late. Some glow ups are physical, but more frequently emotional and spiritual. The term is particularly accurate when discussing spiritual transformation because when you choose Christ, the light of His love emanates from you, spilling over into the lives of those around you. It comes from a deep confidence about who you are in Christ – fully known and fully loved – unconditionally. It’s a glow of joy and contentment that defies circumstances and pop culture. However, despite having experienced that initial radical transformation, more often than not, I still feel prepubescent in my spiritual life.
In many ways, I’m still waiting to glow up. To fan the flame of God’s love so that I can be a beacon of His light into a dark world. There are times I feel on fire with His presence, but there are other times when my spirituality feels like smoldering embers. One of the articles in my glow up research suggested incorporating daily ‘self-love’ affirmations to rewire the brain into being more positive. The author listed 50 affirmations. They all began with “I am” followed by adjectives I rarely, if ever, feel. That tactic may work for some, but my thoughts are notoriously unreliable and rarely flattering or accurate. Biblical affirmations are what I need a daily dose of to remind me of how God sees me. He is the only “I AM” I need to know because He alone is the source of my glow. Who better to go to when that light begins to dim than the One who lit it? My identity is in Him – the great I AM. As my creator and savior, His words of affirmation are trustworthy and consistent. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.
Choose to see yourself through God’s lens of love and mercy. It’s a more accurate and meaningful reflection than the one you see in the mirror. When you are grounded in Him, you will have a glow that no makeup can rival and no beauty regimen can produce.