Rev up! and GLOW

Two nights ago, 24 young girls and 11 rockin’ volunteers filled up a gym as they shined in the glowing purple hues of black light. With faces literally glowing from the body paint, we all moved to the upbeat sounds of music that would make any grown woman want to dance. After the night ended, one girl said that she looked around the room and even though it was dark, she could tell everyone was smiling. The minimal lighting allowed her and the rest of the girls to feel comfortable enough to let loose and dance even if it meant moving offbeat and looking ridiculous.

After sweating ourselves silly, we all raided the Smoothie bar where we created delicious bowls, topped with yummy fruit, granola, and other healthy toppings! Some of us then played around at the photo booth taking pictures in costume. Others freshened up with a fragrant face mask. Then, there were others who ran around with 50 glow bracelets linked together, letting out their inner creative child!

After a time of stretching, we practiced stillness. With a cool lavender towel on our foreheads, we inhaled a prayer of, “I love you” to God, and exhaled as we allowed ourselves to hear God say it back to us, “I love you”.

This transitioned into storytime, of sorts. Where I shared my first experience of looking at myself in a mirror and seeing how God saw me–instead of seeing myself through the filter of how I thought the world saw me. I had looked at myself, with a filter of several lies attached to it including I was ugly, I need make up, not good enough so I have to layer up with material things, and so on. I had been lied to in middle school, and high school and believed them for several years after. It made me slightly paranoid that I would never be pretty enough for people to like me.

After taking the girls through Genesis 3:1-13, it was their turn to look inward. The girls wrote a lie they’ve believed on a balloon. After asking them to pop it, they found a little note inside with a truth to displace that lie that had been exposed. At the end, the girls came up and wrote down their truth, what God sees when He looks at them, on a full-length mirror. This was a huge expression of their faith; calling out the lie for what it is, and stepping into the freedom of the truth of who God says they are. Only our maker can tell us who we are. Why, oh why, would we want other broken and hurt reflections to define who we are? If they didn’t make you, they cannot define you.

As they left that night with newfound energy, hope, and friends, they also each left with a letter written by women of faith in our community! All women who sat down, spared a few minutes out of their busy schedules to love on those girls with their words and their testimony.

If that was you, thank you. Thank you for being the hands and feet of Jesus. Thank you to all those who volunteered and led, and for doing it well. Thank you for being bold enough to talk to, to move with and engage those incredible young women who came out Saturday night.

 “I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love,  may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us— to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

Ephesians 3:18-21

Brianna Joy

Revelation Wellness Instructor at The Well

If you would like any info about The Well ministry events and classes, please contact me at: brijoyful@gmail.com. I host seasonal, faith and fitness classes: Rev Up! classes are cardio and strength-based and Flow classes involve light strength, stretching and meditative practice.

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