A Meme To Challenge The Status Quo

Some memes are truly funny. Not all of them are created equal however. It is quite disturbing that some professing Christian adults lack the discernment to even forward a meme that clearly makes fun of someone’s appearance. Some people say it’s relative and depends on people’s perspective. They can convince themselves that but they can’t remove the reason why it’s supposedly funny for “some” people. It’s because of the way someone looks. It’s different when people grab actors and put it in a meme. It’s another story when it’s of a real person who probably has no idea they were going to become the object of someone’s joke.

Elisha Is Jeered
From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some boys came out of the town and jeered at him. “Get out of here, baldy!” they said. “Get out of here, baldy!” He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys. And he went on to Mount Carmel and from there returned to Samaria.

2 Kings 2:23-25 (NIV)

Do you think God does not take things as small as making fun of a Spirit-filled believer’s appearance seriously? While it was unfortunate that those who jeered at Elisha got mauled, we don’t expect a lightning from heaven to strike us while we make fun of someone but know that as we casually do it without being mindful if we are being partakers of causing hurt to someone, we are grieving the Holy Spirit within us.

It’s just for plain fun. How about if it was a picture of someone close to you that was made to be the butt of the joke? What about if it’s a person who happened to not have enough money to afford to go to an orthodontist or one who’s a harelip? While it may appear I’m blowing things out of proportion, there are people out there who are constantly made fun of and no one dares to stick up for them. This issue hits close to home as I have seen my son bullied for no good reason and even though this has nothing to do with bullying, making fun of someone’s appearance can be the onset of bullying.

If God doesn’t judge us by our outward appearance, aren’t we called to do the same? If professing believers want to start a revival within the church and minutes later easily post things that aren’t edifying to any believer but only achieves the opposite effect, how exactly is that being a catalyst for revival? It’s only a thought and this inconsistency definitely makes me think. NO ONE likes to be made fun of. I certainly am not the judge nor someone’s conscience but if we are posting for God’s glory, we should at least try to be consistent. Otherwise, we make ourselves to be nothing but hypocrites.

I’m not bent on making enemies and believe me when I say that is the least of my intentions, but sometimes that is the unfortunate consequence of speaking out. I’m pretty sure if we became the butt of the joke, it would bother us, maybe not for a long time since we are called to give it to God and forgive, but imagine people out there who actually suffer from some kind of insecurity when it comes to their appearance and add on top of that, one who doesn’t know the Lord yet. I saw a testimony of this girl who has to constantly deal with taunts, “You’re so ugly why don’t you just go kill yourself” just because she was born without any control on her appearance due to a rare condition. This is an extreme case but the sad reality is the world can really be that cruel and as followers of Christ, we ought to be different.

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.”

Ephesians 5:8-10

[Image Credit: Kate Pugsley – tweaked with text]