Do Not Despise 'Little Ones'

Jesus Christ tells us to carefully consider our attitudes toward those who aren't as well off. A lot is riding on it—for them as well as for us.

by Rex Sexton

I first met Rick Johnson while attending sixth grade at Franklin Grade School in Danville, Illinois. Franklin was an old red brick school in an old part of town. We all knew that students at Franklin came from homes of modest means, but Rick Johnson's family was poorer than most.

You see, Rick Johnson (not his real name) was an orphan. He lived with his grandparents instead of his parents. Rumor among the other students had it that his parents had been killed in an automobile accident, either both or one of them—no one knew for sure.

Rick's grandparents were poor. When Rick's grandfather came to the school, he always wore the same old worn-out pair of farmer's overalls. In fact, Rick always wore the same black slacks and white shirt. Most of the time the shirt was only partly tucked in. But other students didn't make fun of him much for his clothes; they mostly made fun of his glasses.

Rick wore large black glasses that somehow were always on the end of his nose. Since he was short and not athletic, other students constantly made fun of Rick about lots of things. Rick was the last one chosen for softball or kickball teams. If other students bumped into him in the hallway, they would yell, "Oh, I've got Johnson cooties!" and wipe their shirt several times.

Rick was constantly being made fun of and picked on. For him, each day at school was another day of humiliation. He did his best to ignore everyone else, but a few times his anger got the best of him and he screamed through his tears at those mocking him—saying how awful they were.

Things didn't change much for Rick during the junior high years. Even a new school didn't bring relief from the torture of teasing he endured. He was always by himself because he never had any friends, and most of the students didn't notice him much as we went on through our high school years.

Read the full article at www.gnmagazine.org/issues/gn50/littleones.htm

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