Virtuous Woman - Serving & TeamworkSample

Compassion

Character Goal: To encourage women to live their life with an awareness of the hardships of others and a willingness to help them so that they might know Christ.

Biblical Character: Tabitha

Scripture Readings: Acts 9:36–43

• The passage refers to Tabitha as a “disciple.” Considering what you know about Jesus’ other disciples, what can we assume about this woman?
• What does the passage say about how Tabitha lived her life?
• What happened to her? Who did the disciples send for?
• Describe the widows’ response to Tabitha’s death. Why do you think they responded in this way?
• During that time, widows were dependent on God and the compassion of others to meet their needs. In what way did Tabitha meet the needs of the widows?
• Who are the needy people around you? In what ways can you show compassion and use your resources to meet their physical or emotional needs?
• How did Tabitha’s life reflect the heart of Jesus toward others?
• As a female athlete, what kind of impression do you want your life to have on the lives of others? What can you do in order to leave this kind of legacy?
• Proverbs 31:20 says, “She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.” Reflect on a time when someone reached out to you in a time of physical or emotional need. What did they do? How did this make you feel?
• How did God use Peter in the life of Tabitha, the widows, and the other believers? What does this tell us about God?
• How did the people of Joppa respond to Tabitha’s miracle?
• According to 1 Timothy 2:9–10, what does Paul say should be the women’s main and most prominent adornment? Why?
• Which of your teammates best displays compassion? What traits stand out about her? How does she make others feel?
• As a female athlete, how can you show compassion to your teammates while you compete?
• What does this story teach you about God? Women? How can you apply these truths to your life?
• What is one thing I learned from this story that I can apply to my life before the next lesson?

Training for Godliness:

Compassion is not often something people think about when they think of an athlete. How do you think compassion and athletics might fit together? Many times we are quick to judge others for how we see them act, dress, or speak. Rather than judging, what if we got to know the person better (“walk a mile in their shoes”) to better understand why they do what they do? Has anyone ever judged you for the way you look, dress, or play your sport? How did this make you feel? How can you avoid judging others, be compassionate toward them, and try to better understand their struggles? If you did this with a teammate, could it change some unhealthy dynamics that might exist on your team?

Core Truths:

• God desires us to be compassionate toward others because He has been compassionate toward us.
• God has equipped each of us uniquely to display compassion to those in need, whether their needs be physical, emotional, or spiritual in nature.
• Compassionate people leave lasting impressions on others.

Memory Verse: “Her hands reach out to the poor, and she extends her hands to the needy.” -Proverbs 31:20