The youth in my family have lately been fascinated with before-and-after videos. Whether it’s a completely new hairstyle, a weight loss goal met, makeup or a clothing-inspired change, they all gather around and marvel at the transformation. “What a difference!” “It’s not even the same person!” They call it a glow-up — a transformation that takes you from outdated to up to date in one way or another.
Always the mother, I took this as an opportunity to talk about their summer months. We often do not see a good portion of our friends over the summer. There’s camp, travel, work and other activities. So, what if, over the next couple of months before school starts, we committed ourselves to an interior glow-up?
I challenged them — and myself — to think about the areas in life where we might be weaker interiorly. Is it in self-discipline? Is it in gossip or in how you talk about yourself or others? What about generosity or gratitude? Think about how good it feels to be around a positive person! What if we committed ourselves to becoming more of a person of joy? What might that look like?
Romans 12:2 reminds us: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.”

Our minds are great gifts, and our emotions and actions flow from the cultivation of our mind and heart. Countless medicinal benefits have been touted for continuing to challenge our minds with word problems, riddles and puzzles, but I would argue that cultivating virtue pays even greater rewards. As Catholics, we look to the eternal as the goal. Who we want to be (for the Lord) requires taking stock of who we are now and digging deep for that transformation. It requires sacrifice and perseverance.
Maybe we start by recognizing the gifts around us and writing them down each day. That can grow gratitude. What if we trained ourselves to speak only positively when we get in the car after an event? (I have girls. We tend to hash every detail out!) That goal alone would grow charity and kindness, as well as an awareness of other people’s gifts.
I shared with my family these words from 1 Peter 3:3-4, which have always struck me profoundly: “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”
This is the goal for us as Catholic Christians: to stand firm against the many harsh trends of the culture; to speak love, witness truth and be beacons of joy in our everyday lives. Those everyday lives? They are normal, human, average lives for all of us. We all have joys, sufferings, challenges and crosses — and how we represent ourselves speaks volumes to those around us.
A glow-up to me signifies a major shift. I was one way, and now I am another. Is that not the heralding call for us all? Ultimately, I want to be a living tabernacle for Jesus. Like Mother Mary cried out in Luke chapter 1, verse 46, I want to joyfully and unabashedly proclaim:
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

I tell my children that they don’t necessarily have to show up on day one at school with a megaphone declaring these words, but rather to spend some time with them. Take courage from them. Feel the release of living fully in who you were created to be and the freedom in speaking it. That’s the true glow-up.
Our exterior is profoundly affected by our interior thoughts and actions. The most beautiful people are interiorly gorgeous, pure and refined. We turn to a saint like Mother Teresa and cannot help but see her radiant beauty. There is nothing more beautiful than her poverty of spirit. She is breathtaking in her kindness, her generosity and her love.
And in the end, that’s the glow-up that matters most — the one where our hearts, little by little, become living reflections of His love.
This article also appeared at the Catholic Times.