I Was Just Teasing!

How would you feel if someone started calling you bad names?  What if they made fun of your clothes or your friends?  Would you like it if they made fun of the way you play sports, talk, or your hair?  I think all of us are hurt, and sometimes
angry, when someone makes fun of us or teases us.

We need to remember how bad it feels so we do not tease or make fun of other people.  Some people in school, at church, or in our neighborhood are easy to make fun of.  Maybe they don’t look like everyone else or have some things that everyone else has.  Of course, God made us all different and we should be proud of our differences.  But we should never make jokes about other people.  Jesus said we should treat others as we want to be treated (Matt. 7:12).

In fact, the Bible goes further to say that we should treat others better than ourselves, Philippians 2:3.  This means that we should treat ourselves well and treat others even better.  We must show love towards our enemies, Matthew 5:44.

How can you love someone who makes fun of you or is mean to you?  First, you pray for that person to change, not only so they will leave you alone but that they would learn to be like Jesus. 

Secondly, do not make fun of them because they made fun of you.  Have you ever seen a fight with just one person?  Don’t let another person draw you into the meanness of calling one another names. Ignore them. Let them know by your
example that you will not stoop to their level. They will often be mad that you won’t say bad things back to them. They also get mad because they are not getting you mad!  They will be the ones who look bad, not you.

Finally, remember that people who make fun of other people, deep down, do not love themselves. A person who feels very good about himself will not feel any need to bring others down to make himself look better.  Feel sorry for the person that thinks so little of himself that he has to bring you down to feel good.

I would beg you, as ones who love God, to especially avoid teasing people whom you go to church with.  It is sad to see young people who are supposed to love God, saying such mean things to and about one another, teasing others, or keeping others out of “their group.”  We are all trying to go to heaven and we need one another.  Speak words that build one another up.  Do not destroy someone with your words, Galatians 5:14-15.