Body of Work
If we look at women’s magazine covers today, we see a lot of non-athletes. Thin, petite women who model clothes or sing pop music for a living. While that’s fine for them—they probably don’t need explosive quads for their jobs—it doesn’t do us much good when we look down and see our muscular thighs and solid waistlines staring back at us and think we’re somehow less beautiful. In those moments, we can get downright mean with ourselves and sink into a self-loathing pit that causes us to live outside of the joy and peace we could have in Christ.
Instead of killing our self-esteem when we look in the mirror, let’s learn the real Truth about ourselves as God Himself laid it out...and allow it to set us free (John 8:32).
What is your opinion of your body, and how does it affect you mentally? Emotionally? Spiritually?
Where did you get your opinion? Who taught you how and what to think about your body?
Do you worry more about the number on the scale than about your physical fitness? Would you ever change your diet to help you lose weight at the expense of your athletic performance? How could this affect your health? Your team?
THINK IT THROUGH
Imagine for a moment that you look like one of today’s top models. Your arms and legs are thin. There is little to no fat on your body, and your muscles are so small they can only be detected with an MRI. You walk out to face your opponent on the court, and she raises her eyebrows and asks, “Are YOU guarding ME?”
You’d like to be confident in your response, but you suddenly realize that she has at least 60 pounds on you. How’s your confidence now?
Have you ever stopped to consider your athletic body’s worth—what it does and is capable of doing? It’s a pretty incredible thing. It can run, jump, throw a pitch, smash a volleyball and so much more. But only if you take care of it and train it for competition, which will inevitably make your body look different than the ones on the red carpet.
Listen, that’s OK. If we believe God’s Word in Psalm 139, it’s a good thing. While we want to appreciate the beauty of all God’s daughters and not berate those who set the world’s standards, we can’t do so at the expense of our own self-worth. We simply can’t label one body type as beautiful and all others as unattractive. It’s not biblical, and it’s not healthy. It’s only a lie of the enemy, who wants to steal our life and joy and render us ineffective.
Have you ever considered that God gave you your body for a reason?
What can you do athletically that you wouldn't be able to do without your specific physical design?
THE WORD
Instead of comparing our bodies, let’s learn to appreciate who and how God made us and embrace ourselves as stunning in His sight—and our own. Take a look at the key Psalm 139 verse in context.
Read the following verses and record what each says about body image: Romans 12:2; 1 Samuel 16:7; Ephesians 2:10
Read Psalm 139:13-16 again and write down what you think God is saying to you in this verse.
Ladies, God created you as you are on purpose. And if you believe God is the loving, wise and perfect Father He says He is, you can know that your design was (and is) a good one.
TAKEAWAY POINT:
Psalm 139 shows that you were designed as you are on purpose, and you are a beautiful work of God—every bit of you. And while the world can only offer its opinion, this is actual Truth from Scripture. Whether or not you match up with pop culture doesn’t have any bearing on your real worth and value. You are fearfully and wonderfully made just as you are.
TEAM TIME
As teammates, you have an opportunity to help each other experience freedom from the bondage of a destructive body image. By banding together, you can fight the enemy and help each other embrace God’s Truth about your bodies.
ACTIVITY
Go around the room and let each teammate share her body image struggles without being interrupted. (If you have a large group, break into groups of three to five.)
Once everyone has shared, return to the larger group if necessary and discuss the similarities and common themes or thoughts. Write them down on a white board or flip chart for everyone to see.
As a group, identify the lies that are driving those negative thoughts. (e.g. I’m not good enough. I have to be perfect. There IS a perfect, and I’m not it. I look different, and different is bad. I’m not beautiful as I am. I’m not worthy.) Write these down, as well.
No fight the lies by replacing them with Truth from Scripture. As a team, identify Bible verses that correspond to each lie and write the reference next to (or directly over) the lie. NOTE: If you think of a verse—even one that doesn’t directly relate to body image—that applies to one of your teammates’ specific situations, share it during this time.
Discuss the exercise as a group and anything you learned. Leave with the question, “What is God saying to you, and how will you respond?”
WORK IT OUT
This week, your team’s mission is to practice thinking God’s Truth about your bodies when you’re faced with lies. Choose one (or more) of the following activities to do as a team between now and your next meeting:
Post body-image related Scripture verses in your lockers and on your locker room mirrors.
Text, Tweet, Facebook, Snapchat or Instagram encouraging verses to each other daily. (Any social media will work.)
Share daily positive affirmations in person.
Memorize Psalm 119:13-16 or one of the other verses from this study.
RALLY CRY:
Once you have your plan of action, couple it with this week’s Bold and Beautiful Rally Cry. As a team, this will be your power phrase for the week. Repeat it when lies come to your mind; write it on your athletic tape; say it to each other; and remember the verse behind it.
“WONDERFULLY MADE”
PSALM 139:14