17/06/2026
🥰🥰😎
“Fearfully and Wonderfully Made”
Opening Scripture: “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” – Psalm 139:14
Talofa lava, brothers and sisters.
Growing up as a Samoan in New Zealand, I was always that kid who was bigger than most. And in that difference, I often felt the sting of judgment. Some parents even went so far as to silence their children’s identity, hiding birth certificates and passports, because others labeled them “abnormal.”
Body shaming is not just cruel—it is a denial of God’s handiwork.
The Sin of Body Shaming-Recently, we saw a public figure insult Michelle Obama, calling her something she is not. But what he failed to acknowledge is that she is an academic, a lawyer, a mother, and a fine human being. This is the heart of body shaming: reducing someone’s worth to appearance, while ignoring their God-given gifts.
Samoans are not small, waif-like people. We are larger, strong, and beautiful. Our children are born with size and presence, and that is not a curse—it is a blessing.
Biblical Truth-
1. Genesis 1:27 – We are created in the image of God. Every body type reflects His glory.
2. 1 Samuel 16:7 – “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
3. Romans 12:4–5 – Just as the body has many parts, so does the body of Christ. Diversity is not weakness—it is strength.
Jesus Himself embraced those who were different. He sought dialogue and connection with the marginalized, the outcast, the ones society rejected.
The Call to Youth and Families
Reject the lie that beauty is only found in thinness or in the images of Kate Moss or Cindy Crawford.
Embrace your identity as Samoans—large, strong, and beautiful.
Teach our children that their worth is not measured by size, but by the love of God and the gifts He has placed within them.
Stand together in unity and diversity, for these are the keys to overcoming intolerance, persecution, and disdain.
Practical Steps-Speak words of life, not shame, over our children.
Celebrate cultural identity and body diversity in our churches and communities.
Confront body shaming when we see it, with love and truth.
Remind one another daily: “You are fearfully and wonderfully made.”
Closing Prayer-Heavenly Father, thank You for creating us in Your image. Forgive us for the times we have judged others by appearance. Help us to see beauty in diversity, strength in difference, and unity in love. May our youth grow up confident in who they are, knowing they are fearfully and wonderfully made. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
