Prayers for Oppa
From K-pop to J-pop, A devotional for performers & their fans
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Physical Appearance
Performers are trained to be very aware of their physical appearance and are constantly trying out new looks. Many fans look forward to the changes performers make to their hair, fashion and makeup for each new project.
It brings God glory and great joy when His children confidently express their creativity in regards to their appearance because we are imitating Him in His role as Creator. Problems arise, however, when we seek to change our appearance through drastic means because we feel – or have been told – that our natural, God-created looks are unacceptable.
God has given each of us a distinctive appearance and He has his reasons for doing so, reasons we don’t always understand. He asks us to trust His sovereignty in these matters, just as He asks us to trust His sovereignty in other areas of our lives.
Consider Isaiah 45:11b-12 (NIV): “Concerning things to come, do you question me about my children, or give me orders about the work of my hands? It is I who made the earth and created mankind on it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts.”
God couldn’t be more pleased with the way He created us to look, as described in Song of Songs 4:7 (NIV): “You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you.” It’s important, therefore, that we exercise discernment and decide whether a change to our appearance will glorify our creative God or if it will detract from His expert workmanship.
If you have made a permanent change in your appearance and are uncertain about your decision, please remember that God loves all of His children unconditionally and nothing we do will make Him love us any more or any less than He already does. Ultimately, His greatest concern is what we look like on the inside, as seen in 1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV): “But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’”
Truly, there’s only one way we can respond to God’s all-encompassing love. As it says in Psalm 45:11 (NIV), “Let the king be enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord.”
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Performer prayer:
Thank You, Lord, for the physical appearance You have chosen to give me. I accept Your gift of my unique looks, and I rejoice in Your loving skill as Creator. As it says in Psalm 139:14 (NIV), “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
Please enable me to see myself as You see me, especially in regards to (physical appearance issue). I thank You for the gift of confident creativity with my looks, and I ask that You would help me to use that gift to bring You glory. Help me, too, to remember that what matters most is what You have given me, particularly on the inside.
I praise You, Lord, for loving me unconditionally, both inside and out. Thank You that I am always beautiful in Your sight.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
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Performer verse:
Romans 9:20 (NIV) – But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’”
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Fan prayer:
Father God, I praise You for creating (performer’s name) in the way You have. Please help him (her) to see himself (herself) the way You see him (her). Give him (her) confidence in his (her) looks and help him (her) to focus on the positive aspects of his (her) appearance and Your loving skill in his (her) creation instead of any negative things others may say.
I ask that You would make (performer’s name) especially attractive on the inside, blessing him (her) with strong faith, godly character, a tender heart and wisdom. May these blessings be evident to everyone he (she) meets, as described in Ecclesiastes 8:1b (NIV): “A person’s wisdom brightens their face and changes its hard appearance.”
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
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Fan verse:
Ephesians 2:10 (NIV) – For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
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About the Book
A compact, meaningful prayer tool geared toward the East Asian entertainment industry, Prayers for Oppa contains 20 devotionals on topics of interest to performers:
Giving an outdoor concert on a rainy night? Check out Performance Safety.
Feeling pressure due to the expectations of others? Flip to Discouragement.
Wondering if you’re presenting yourself to the public in a way that brings God glory? Find what you need in the Fan Service and Image sections.
Each devotional includes prayers and applicable Bible verses for fans as well as for performers:
Is your favorite performer sick or injured? Turn to the Healing section.
Are they going through a tough time in their career? Go to Difficulty Getting Work.
Want to support them in their efforts to share their faith? Try Social Media, Sharing God with Others or Taking a Stand.
With its emphasis on cultivating a strong relationship with God through prayer and reading the Bible, Prayers for Oppa offers performers and fans a more meaningful connection with one another and with God.
About the Author
Teresa Santoski committed her life to Jesus Christ in 1996 and has found herself having one adventure after another ever since. That wasn’t exactly what she anticipated when she became a non-denominational, Bible-believing Christian, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.
A ten-year veteran of the newspaper industry, Teresa most recently covered arts and entertainment for The Telegraph, the second largest newspaper in the state of New Hampshire. In this role, she interviewed numerous musicians, artists, actors, filmmakers, authors and other creative professionals of local, national and international renown. She continues to write her award-winning humor column, Tete-a-tete, which has developed a devoted following since its debut in May 2008.
Though she graduated with honors from Wellesley College in 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts in English, Teresa also studied Japanese language, history, film and literature and received an extensive extracurricular education in Korean and Japanese pop culture.
In 2006, she traveled to China and Tibet as a member of the New Hampshire Friendship Chorus, photographing and blogging about her experiences as a special project for The Telegraph. This journey led to additional interests in Chinese, Tibetan, Taiwanese and Thai pop culture and helped cement her desire to encourage performers in the East Asian entertainment industry in their Christian faith.
Teresa served as a critique group facilitator and member of the leadership team for her regional chapter of Word Weavers during its affiliation with the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild. She continues to participate in a small critique group of committed Christian writers when her schedule allows.
She resides in New Hampshire, where the trees easily outnumber the East Asian restaurants, but you can still find excellent sushi, stone pot bibimbap and boba tea.
For more information about Teresa, Prayers for Oppa and Teresa’s other writings, visit www.teresasantoski.com.