Life as a fat kid…

yep, this is one of those posts that’s going to be uncomfortable for me to write, but one I feel called to do, so here goes! 

Do you know a kid that is overweight? 

Maybe you were an overweight kid, so you’ll identify with some of the things I am about to share. 

If you weren’t an overweight kid, were you one of those skinny kids that made fun of a fat kid?  If so, then I am probably one of those kids you made fun of!  I want to thank you for helping to teach me how to be a very personable person; a very kind, caring, and loving person; and for helping me to grow stronger in my relationship with Christ, because most days when you were pointing fingers at me and laughing, I was screaming and crying on the inside from the pain I was feeling, but I had one friend that was always with me – and that friend was and is Jesus. 

It is unfortunate that some kids who are teased (now we call it bullying) become very angry, bitter, and choose bullying behavior; however, others of us learned how to overcome that – we learned how to be friendly and personable to help us engage others and sway others into seeing beyond our fat.  Some of us chose to demonstrate love, compassion, and care to others in order to make them happy, which ultimately made us feel better. 

So,  thank you for helping me to develop character qualities that have helped me make good friends and succeed in life.

About now you’re probably wondering where I am going with this.  Well, you see, the last several months have been very trying for me.  I have lost a friendship that was very important to me and lately I have been grieving the loss of that friendship.  I had been hopeful that my friend and I would be able to overcome hurt feelings that had occurred between us, but it seems that is just not in the life plan of our friendship.  And, you see, friendship – actually all relationships are very important to me.  

You see, when one has walked the path of a fat kid, relationships are something that you work hard at and hold in a high regard, because as a fat kid you typically don’t have a whole lot of friendships, so the ones that you do have you work really hard to keep.  And, that is where I learned to invest in the relationships in my life ~ a character quality that I am truly grateful for. 

A friend recently gave me a card that reads:  “A good friend brings us closer to God…an open and compassionate heart, a forgiving spirit, an honest voice…which is God’s love in action”.  That is so true.  I find that my greatest friends are those who are committed Christ followers and who try to live according to His word and principles.  In turn, that is the type of friend that I am committed to be. 

As in Matthew it says, “where your heart is there your treasure is also”.  As a Christ follower, I am committed to treating all folks with compassionate care, with a forgiving and open heart and mind. 

I’ve spent a lot of money and a lot of time in therapy trying to overcome the hurt that I carried in my heart from being one of “those fat kids” and I am so very, very grateful that I have been able to grow and learn so very much about character, forgiveness, and authentic relationships.  I’m glad to be at a point in my adult life that I can be thankful for being a “fat kid”.  It is my personal goal, now, to become a non-fat adult!  And, with baby steps I believe it is a goal that will be attained because I have the best life coach possible – JESUS! 

Dear Lord, thank you for all the love, gifts, and authentic relationships you have given me in my life.  May I always live my life so that others may know you because of the way I live and I ask you for strength and courage in reaching out to those who are hurting.  Amen.