In leading the church\u2019s youth group, Lie sees these ideas filtering into young people, as the Chinese youth don\u2019t want to socialize with or date non-Chinese.<\/p>\n
\u201cI teach teens and young adults that such stigma does not come from God,\u201d Lie said. \u201cI encourage them to interact with people of all ethnicities and who have different skin color, both in church ministry and in social settings, so they can broaden their perspectives, realizing that individuals from different ethnicities are not as they might have thought.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Natalisa, the despair over her dark skin only dissipated through a closer relationship with God and a supportive Christian community. \u201cI didn\u2019t dare to develop myself until I realized the value of self-worth in the eyes of God during college discipleship,\u201d she recalled. She joined a small group where friends not only affirmed and accepted her, but also helped her embrace herself as God created her to be.<\/p>\n
By viewing herself through a biblical perspective, she was finally able to brush off the culture\u2019s beauty standard. With this understanding, her perspective on herself changed.<\/p>\n
She points to Genesis 1:26\u2014\u201cThen God said, \u2018Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness\u2019\u201d\u2014as the lynchpin that helped her accept her appearance.<\/p>\n
Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the Almighty says I am already perfect when he created me, what more needs to be changed?\u201dhttps:\/\/t.co\/S6UeeqK9NS<\/a><\/p>\n — Christianity Today (@CTmagazine) July 31, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n