My mom came to visit us before Christmas. We had an amazing, sweet visit. One of the things she wanted to do was to take our kids shopping. She gave them a budget, and then came along to see what each would choose. Our youngest, Julia, wanted makeup. So off to Ulta they went.

The saleswoman patiently helped Julia pick out what she wanted. One of the items was for covering up circles under your eyes. (I suffer from this too). The woman looked at Julia and said, “I want you to look at me.”

Julia did. So did I.

The woman tilted her head downward, looking toward the ground. She said, “When I do this, can you see the circles under my eyes?”

“Yes,” Julia said.

Then she lifted her chin and smiled. “Now what do you see?”

“The circles are gone,” I said.

“Exactly.” Then she looked right at Julia and said, “You are beautiful. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. And the more you carry yourself with your head up, the less people will ever notice circles under your eyes. I want you to know that you are beautiful.”

That’s something we all need, isn’t it? When we stop believing our worth, we look downcast toward the earth. I was genuinely surprised to see how pronounced my circles were when I looked downward. (Go ahead, look in the mirror and see). Everything changed when I lifted my head. Reminds me of this verse:

But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. Psalm 3:3 ESV

May that be true for you. And if your head is low, ask God to lift your chin toward Him. That’s my prayer for you today.