Question of the month
If you fall while learning to ride a bike, others might make fun of you by laughing and telling you that you’re useless. So, you start to cry, throw down the bike, and run away in tears. Or you poke out your tongue and shout back that they’re the ones who are useless!
In the second Book of Kings, in chapter 2, in the first part of the people, we read bout what happened one day to one of God’s servants: “Elisha left Jericho and went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, a group of boys from the town began mocking and making fun of him. “Go away, baldy!” they chanted. “Go away, baldy!”. “
Another time, some men mocked the apostle Paul because he said that Jesus had been brought back to life(resurrected, Acts 17:32).
• The fact is that Elisha was bald. And the children discovered it was something they could use to make fun of him. They probably didn’t see someone bald very often, because in those days everybody wore some kind of head-covering.
Ever since the beginning of time, some people have made fun of others. Why? Because their heart is not right with the Lord. They don’t have a heart filled with the love of God. They don’t respect others, especially those who are a bit different from them, or who don’t think like they do. They try to hurt them and reject them.
• At school, or in the neighbourhood, some make fun of a child who doesn’t have the same colour of skin, or who doesn’t wear the same clothes as the others. Or, some make fun of a person because they have a disability of some sort. They call them names, laugh while showing a finger, so that others refuse to play with them.
When you mock someone, you injure them in their heart.
Maybe something like that has happened to you! Children treated like this can become very sad and refuse to hang-out with others. They want to be on their own, and that can be really damaging.
If you ever hurt someone in this way, if you can, say sorry and ask God to help you not to join in with such things again.
• And if someone makes fun of you, try to understand why and ask a friend to help you. You can also pray!
