You know all those cool people who do dangerous things and their middle name is Danger and you just wish you could be them!? Well, do I have the remedy for you! From drab to fab! And just how, you ask, have I come across such a remedy? Personal experience. I just happen to be one of those people whose middle name shines what I am notorious for. You ready for this one? Outcast. Pretty hot, eh?
OK, so it’s not as glamorous sounding as they make it in the movies. But who’s talking fiction? If there’s one thing in this life I know well, it’s being made fun of. Everyone seems to be convinced that I’m too short. I keep having to remind them I’m only short compared to taller people! Sure, insults hurt and they often influence our feelings and what we do. But honestly, they’re irrelevant.
But about that remedy. I wish I could give it to you in a bottle. You could just drink it and this magical, sparkly transformation would happen that’d cause everyone to love you! But, the remedy is very different. Simply because the real “drab” isn’t what you’re insulted for, but the fact that you think these insults make up all that you are. The real “fab” is knowing exactly what you are. When people insult you, they’re insulting God’s creation. A creation which is His own and He loves dearly.
The remedy is truth! Every time I’m put down or find a negative thought roaming about my head, I realize I’m in the middle of a battle with my armor half off. Pick up that sword and that shield! God’s Word is full of truth. I’ve found it helpful to write down scripture that speaks about the problem I’m facing. Any time I’m put down with lies, I can whip out the scriptures I collected and read them. Truth really does fight off flaming arrows, as the Bible says (Ephesians 6:10-17). But more important than the metaphor of battling and consuming truth, is continually being aware of how God thinks of you; what God thinks, is what goes.
Now there is one more thing to this dilemma. I’ve found that responding to insults is a true task to be mastered.
- First, the Bible tells us to love, because love covers over a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). Even that really annoying bully you would just love to see slip on a banana peel. When you respond in love, your perspective is right on track!
- Second, be forgiving. Whoever makes fun of you doesn’t realize how fearfully and wonderfully made you are! Go and pray that your insulter sees the situation from God’s perspective!
- The last point is entirely optional: learn to be witty. Truly innocent humor brings the heaviness of any negative situation way up into the sky! Even if others don’t laugh, at least you’ve seen the silliness of insults; compared to what God has made, insults are quite a laugh!
The next time you wish you were the cool person or the opposite of what others make fun of, stop to consider God’s intention for life. You’ll be amazed at what a little truth will do!
