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    how to help girls survive in a barbie world
sarah washington
I have worn glasses since the second grade. I have
always had the worst vision. I used to wear big blue glasses all
through elementary school. Once I entered middle school I jumped on board
the contact lens train. This definitely helped improve the awkward
look. My vision is so bad that if I were laying in my bed, I would
not be able to read the clock on my bedside table.
If I walked
around my apartment without my glasses in the morning, I would inevitably
stumble and stub my toe. When I put on my glasses it gives my
apartment a whole new perspective. I believe the same is true
spiritually when it comes to body image. Some girls have picked up their
spiritual glasses off the bedside table at one time or another, and caught
a quick glimpse from God's perspective, but most girls have never seen
themselves through God's eyes. They see themselves through the
eyes of the world. They see themselves as falling short of the
standard of beauty. How do you help girls survive in a Barbie
world?
Girls face an amazing abundance of pressure when it comes to their
bodies. Everywhere
they go they are bombarded with misinformation, half-truths and flat
out lies about their appearance. It's no wonder there is a problem with
body image in our culture.
The problem began back when Eve was deceived by Satan. He was
tricky and knew that he had to deceive her in order for her to not believe
what God had said to be true. Times have not changed. Satan
still uses lies to deceive girls about the way they look and who they
are. As leaders, our job is to help them begin to see themselves
through God's eyes. We need to help them learn how to be content
with who God made them to be.
If you have girls who are hurting because
of a poor body image, I want to recommend a few things that you could
do. First of all, if
you are a male, connect them with a female leader. It is crucial
for them to have someone older to talk to who is a female. They
are fighting a sensitive and intimate battle which could be awkward to
talk about with a male. The job of a female leader is threefold.
They are to be there to listen, to speak truth and to offer accountability.
Girls simply need to know that someone is there to listen to their story.
Female leaders do not have to be experts on body image related disorders.
Most do not feel adequately equipped to handle these issues. They just
need to be available. God has chosen leaders to be His mouthpiece
to a hurting generation. These girls desperately need to hear
the truth that God created them unique and wonderful (Psalm 139). They
need to be reminded that their self-worth is not based on who they are
or what they do, but on who God is and what He has done. Finally, leaders
need to ask them the tough questions when they meet with them. Girls
need to know that someone cares enough to help fight the battle with
them by holding them accountable to see themselves through God's eyes.
How
do you help girls survive in a Barbie world? Help them pick
up God's glasses and see themselves the way He made them.
http://www.simplyyouthministry.com/community-articles-from-the-field.html
sarah washington
I have worn glasses since the second grade. I have
always had the worst vision. I used to wear big blue glasses all
through elementary school. Once I entered middle school I jumped on board
the contact lens train. This definitely helped improve the awkward
look. My vision is so bad that if I were laying in my bed, I would
not be able to read the clock on my bedside table.
If I walked
around my apartment without my glasses in the morning, I would inevitably
stumble and stub my toe. When I put on my glasses it gives my
apartment a whole new perspective. I believe the same is true
spiritually when it comes to body image. Some girls have picked up their
spiritual glasses off the bedside table at one time or another, and caught
a quick glimpse from God's perspective, but most girls have never seen
themselves through God's eyes. They see themselves through the
eyes of the world. They see themselves as falling short of the
standard of beauty. How do you help girls survive in a Barbie
world?
Girls face an amazing abundance of pressure when it comes to their
bodies. Everywhere
they go they are bombarded with misinformation, half-truths and flat
out lies about their appearance. It's no wonder there is a problem with
body image in our culture.
The problem began back when Eve was deceived by Satan. He was
tricky and knew that he had to deceive her in order for her to not believe
what God had said to be true. Times have not changed. Satan
still uses lies to deceive girls about the way they look and who they
are. As leaders, our job is to help them begin to see themselves
through God's eyes. We need to help them learn how to be content
with who God made them to be.
If you have girls who are hurting because
of a poor body image, I want to recommend a few things that you could
do. First of all, if
you are a male, connect them with a female leader. It is crucial
for them to have someone older to talk to who is a female. They
are fighting a sensitive and intimate battle which could be awkward to
talk about with a male. The job of a female leader is threefold.
They are to be there to listen, to speak truth and to offer accountability.
Girls simply need to know that someone is there to listen to their story.
Female leaders do not have to be experts on body image related disorders.
Most do not feel adequately equipped to handle these issues. They just
need to be available. God has chosen leaders to be His mouthpiece
to a hurting generation. These girls desperately need to hear
the truth that God created them unique and wonderful (Psalm 139). They
need to be reminded that their self-worth is not based on who they are
or what they do, but on who God is and what He has done. Finally, leaders
need to ask them the tough questions when they meet with them. Girls
need to know that someone cares enough to help fight the battle with
them by holding them accountable to see themselves through God's eyes.
How
do you help girls survive in a Barbie world? Help them pick
up God's glasses and see themselves the way He made them. |
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