Yes, you read that right.

It was the afternoon of my mother’s birthday. My parents and I decided to stop by the mall for a while before going out to dinner to celebrate. As I always do when I visit this mall, I stepped into possibly the greatest store on earth: Sephora.

For those of you who don’t know, Sephora is basically a giant makeup store. (Hey, I’m a girl, we like this sort of thing.) It has colognes and perfumes and all sorts of beauty products, but the main attraction is the twenty-something makeup counters in this place. It is a woman’s paradise.

I entered the Haven of Rest and as I happily wandered the aisles, inhaling a cloud of perfumes and sampling new colors, I noticed a woman glancing sideways at me. I continued shopping and just as I began applying hot pink blush to my cheeks, I heard a voice say, “Excuse me–but is your last name Talley?”

I turned around and was face-to-face with a lovely woman with very kind eyes and a warm, friendly smile. I smiled and said “Yes, my name is Lauren.” She exclaimed how she had seen my family sing on TV and how much she loved our music. We talked for a minute about singing, exchanged pleasantries, and told each other to have a nice day.

As I turned to leave the store, she called after me, “Lauren–this may be a strange question, but…do you ever use false eyelashes?”

As a self-described makeup junkie, I laughed and said, yes, I did wear them occasionally on stage and for photo shoots. She said, “Well, I’ve been caring for my elderly father, and I don’t fix myself up much anymore. But I’d like to try them out sometime when I want to feel pretty–what kind do you think I should try?”

I showed her my favorite kind of false eyelashes, and told her how to put them on. She said, “Oh, I’m so excited! It’s been a long time since I did anything like this. I’ve been taking care of my dad and I just don’t get out of the house much these days.” I told her about my mamaw, who is an Alzheimer’s patient, and although I’m not involved with her caregiving every day, we discovered that we have lots of experiences with our loved ones in common.

This sweet lady was not wearing an ounce of makeup, but her face was radiant as she spoke of her father. She told me that her life, compared to many people, had been somewhat of an easy one, and she frankly was not used to the role of servant. On this day her husband had treated her to a day out of the house, and encouraged her to go into Sephora to get herself some new things as a treat. But her unadorned eyes filled with tears as she said what a blessing it had been to her to be able to care for her father, whom she greatly respected, and how honored she felt that she could serve him.

She shared that on the days when it was hardest to deal with the challenges her father’s age and declining health presented, she could literally feel Jesus next to her as she cared for her dad. She said that she had learned so much about the Lord during this time and that God had given her the most rewarding, loving moments with her dad.

My mom walked up as I was talking to this lady and the three of us began to tell funny things that our relatives had said and done. The unspoken theme of our conversation was unmistakable: though it can be painful to see a loved one age and deteriorate, God uses even the ugly and painful things of life for His glory, and He makes things beautiful in His own way.

The moment was, in a word, holy.

Who would have thought God would be present in the middle of makeup? Who would ever guess that He uses frivolous things like false eyelashes to speak to our souls?

As we parted ways, she asked when we’d be singing in the East Tennessee area next. We told her about the Gatlinburg Gathering and invited her and her husband to come. I jokingly told her that I’d expect to see her with her new false eyelashes, and told her how much I’d enjoyed talking to her. She wiped away a tear and said, “Oh, you don’t know how much meeting you and being able to talk to someone means to me. God knew exactly what I needed today.”

God always knows what we need–even if it’s false eyelashes.