Parents, A Case of Mistaken Identity:* Words From COVID 19 quarantine

 Parents, a case of mistaken identity. As an awkward young man (who is now an awkward adult) I was unsure of myself and had no idea how to talk to humans much less those of the opposite sex and it was painfully obvious when I opened my mouth. This fact did not however, keep me from trying to communicate with the young ladies. One girl, pretty and popular, was in almost all my classes. Every time I tried to talk with her my words never came out right and when they did, they seemed so childish and silly. She would give me this contemptuous grin as if to make an “L” on her forehead with “her finger and her thumb” (meaning “you are a Loser”). I would just walk away embarrassed. So, imagine my excited confusion when she called and asked me to go to the annual Sadie Hawkins dance. I had no idea how to act or what to do. I wasn’t even sure what the dance, who’s name was made famous by the Lil’ Abner comic strip set in the fictional Kentucky mountain town of Dogpatch, actually was. In my still unformed adolescent brain, I thought, “wow, I must be popular too.” When I got to classes the next day, I was excited to talk with said girl about this “turnabout dance.” As I was looking for this girl, another friend of mine, a beautiful girl with a wonderful and caring heart walked up to me excitedly. She was grinning from ear to ear with a genuine, not contemptuous smile, for some reason. It just so happened that she had the same first name as the girl I was looking for… unless? Wait?! Yes, you got it… It was this friend, not the “L” on the forehead girl who had called me the night before… she had only said her first name on the phone. I felt so silly! We went to the dance and had a great time. She was much kinder and tenderhearted toward my (and everyone else’s) teenage awkwardness, than most other teens. My mind flashed back to an early memory from preschool: I had asked a classmate, if they would “be my friend.” This person said “no.” Another tenderhearted kindergartener heard this... and apparently, even as a preschooler, sensed my hurt and she quickly said, “I’ll be your friend!” I am a slow learner and I still continue to learn that we are all desperate for genuine friends who are tender toward weakness and that I need to be that kind of friend too. This friend had modeled how to be a better person that awkward Sadie Hawkin’s incident, but I didn’t realize it until years later. She showed grace and it gave her an unusual amount of teenage confidence because she was more interested in others than herself.

Apparently, in the early church, there were some people, like me, who were still trying to figure out this life as one of God’s people. The apostle Paul reminded us what happens when we realize how much God loves us. He says, “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Colossians 3:12-15 (NLT2) Everyone could all use some “tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience” right now. We all need to act like God’s holy people that He loves… even when those around us may be looking at us contemptuously as if they were holding up an “L” on their forehead with their finger and their thumb. The "turnabout" we need is some loving forgiveness and compassion toward those who are hurting.

Hang in there people! God is with us! I’m praying for us all!