Psalm 139:13-14 says, "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." God made all of us with specific intents, and while those intents were to make us all different, the differences are all good. So if God wanted us all to be different, where do we, as humans, get off "making fun" of those who are different from us? Oh, I'm sure no one in here does now, or doesn't think they make fun of others, but think about this. You are quietly shopping down aisle 12 of Martin's Super Market when about four teenagers dressed all in black leather, touched up with black makeup and several obvious gaudy body-piercings, start to make a ruckus. What do you do? Does your mind suddenly think, "Oh-My-Gosh, what are they doing? They are so weird, look at them!" Let's face it, we've all taken it upon ourselves to judge another individual. And shame on us! Isn't that God's responsibility? Why is it that humans feel the compulsive need to judge others and the type of individual they are, based on the little information that we do know on a person? I'll tell you why. It's because as humans, we all want to be loved and accepted. Now, some people show this by conforming to others' standards and trying to be like everyone else. Others go extreme and go opposite of everyone else to get attention. Others are so insecure that they have to publicly degrade others, just to make themselves appear somewhat "higher" and more accepted. What's interesting though, is that all of these people who are trying to be loved and accepted, are fake. The only real person here, who can hope of being loved and accepted for who they are, is the person getting made fun of; the ones who is being judged. They are the people who choose to be themselves, regardless of what society demands of them. These people are just like everyone else, in one sense, they also want to be loved and accepted, but they will not change who they are, just to get it.

Do you all know of the story with the woman who enters the priest's house to see Jesus, who pours cologne on him and washes his feet with her hair? <Wait for response> Good, well, just like everyone else in this world, this woman wanted to be loved and accepted. And not just by anyone, by Jesus. So one night, the woman found Jesus inside the Priest's house. So, she picked herself off of the street corner and entered the house.

Now, the Priests did not like this. The woman ran in a completely different social circle than they do. The nerve of the woman, entering their house uninvited! But, the woman was not afraid. She just knelt down, poured the perfume on Jesus and began to wash his feet with her hair. She asked Jesus for love and acceptance and you know what happened next? He did. Jesus, the son of God, the Messiah, was able to love and accept a prostitute - a whore, and we, as humans, have a hard enough time accepting someone who decided to wear an orange T-shirt with purple wind-suit pants. True, if this woman truly wanted to be accepted, she could've stopped selling her body, clean up, dress nice, put on a happy face, get a job where she makes a decent income, and then be peachy-keen and accepted by others, but she didn't. She presented herself to Jesus as herself. Today, we try to better ourselves to make ourselves appear more "holy" in God's eyes. We change to stop being our sinful selves and then we love the lord our God and honor him. However, the prostitute loved and honored God first, before changing herself and abstaining from sin. Matthew 22:35-40 says, "One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 'Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?' Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.'" So, contrary to popular belief, the greatest command is not to abstain from sin, instead it is to love the Lord your God first, and then love your enemy. Love God and ask to be accepted by him, before we change who we are. It just amazes how people are not willing to be themselves first. It is commonly said, "You must first learn to accept yourself, and until you do, how can you expect others to?" Now, whether the "others" in this case is referred to as God or to mankind, if you cannot first accept you who are, then you can’t expect anyone else to be able to.

In all reality, there's no shame in admitting that you've been picked on, because at one point or another, everyone's been picked on. Vincent Van Gogh, one of the greatest artists of all time, was picked on, did you know what? Now, I'm not quite sure why, it might've had something to do with the fact that he only had one ear left, but even then, is that really a good excuse? Van Gogh was quoted in his autobiography by saying, "I wish they would only take me as I am." I know that in my experience, there are a few particular types of people who are most commonly made fun of. People who are poor, smart, and who don't necessarily have the perfect body, are usually the ones that I feel sorry for the most. They, are in predicaments that they most likely cannot change, and here people are making fun of them for it. I just don't understand it. Because a person is smart enough to figure out that sodium and water do not go together before actually trying it, gives another person reason to laugh at them? Especially when that person will probably be the one who is hired by the CIA and save all of us from another terrorist attack. All of us are a certain way, and I guarantee you, God plans to use your uniqueness for his benefit and do something great with it.

I want to take a step back for a moment. Do you remember in the beginning of me talking to you, when I asked you to remember a time when you were made fun of and not accepted by others? Now, think about why you were made fun of. Was it really a reason at all? Were you really being "weird," or were you just trying to be yourself? It's interesting, "being yourself" is the most sought after action, and yet, it is what people are afraid of and made fun of the most for. My advice to you is to find yourself, if you haven't already. Search high and low, and once you find who you are, present yourself, not someone else's self, to God and your friends. Hold on to who you are, and never let it go. Whether others like who you are or not. Sure, you could be made fun of again, but it will all be worth it. When you can stop pretending to be something you're not, and just be yourself, you will feel so incredible, I can't even describe it. God made everyone unique, so no matter how different or "weird" a person is, remember that God made him or her that way, and that God will always love and accept people. One last thing I do want to throw out there is that just as you are different, so are others. We all need to learn to accept everyone, even if they are doing something we don't like. We don't have to like it, but we do have to accept that that is who they are. After all, loving your neighbor is one of the greatest commands, even above murder and adultery. And there is a reason for it. So while on your path of seeking, longing, and thirsting, know that God does love you as well as everyone else around you, and that you will be more fulfilled if you just learn to be yourself.