Think Twice Before You Make Fun of Someone - iBelieve Truth: A Devotional for Women - February 24, 2026
“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).
I used to be mocked a lot when I was younger. Due to being chubby and an easy target, many people said mean things to me. It got to the point of bullying by the time I was in middle school, which forced my mom to take me out of public school. Being made fun of hurts our feelings and makes us feel inferior to others.
Have you ever been made fun of? How did it make you feel? Personally, it makes me feel terrible about myself. Being made fun of can lead to self-hate, a negative self-view, and low self-esteem.
It is not your fault if you have been made fun of or bullied. However, it might be your responsibility to repair the parts of you that have been broken. I started on a long journey of growth a few years ago. Part of this journey was to fix the brokenness inside of me. The hurtful words from others had eroded my self-esteem.
I started to believe I was nothing because that is how I had been treated for so long. Maybe you have felt this way, too. Hearing people say mean things about us will never make us feel good. However, we can change the narrative and bring beauty from darkness. With God's help, we can heal the wounds inflicted on us by others and rise from the ashes.
The Bible gives us this warning, “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).
Elisha had just seen Elijah taken up into Heaven (2 Kings 2:1-18). Elijah allowed Elisha to ask him for whatever he wished, and Elisha asked for a double portion of his spirit. This request was granted as Elisha saw Elijah as he went up into Heaven.
Shortly after this account, Elisha is made fun of by a few boys along the road. They shouted at him as he passed by and said, “Get out of here, baldy!” They were making fun of him for his lack of hair.
We can recognize how juvenile this mockery is in the modern day. To make fun of someone just because they don’t have hair is absurd. We shouldn’t ever make fun of anyone for any reason.
Whenever we choose to make fun of someone, we are acting like these juvenile boys. The consequences of their sin are fully seen when Elisha calls down curses upon them in the name of the Lord. Two bears come out of the woods and maul forty-two of the boys. Although only a few boys from this great multitude were making fun of Elisha, forty-two of them were mauled. This shows that if we go along with those who are bullying others and not standing up for what is right, we are just as guilty as those who are doing the actual bullying.
Let us reflect on this truth today. Most of us have been made fun of or bullied, yet we have also made fun of others. Instead of making fun of others or bullying others, we need to be kind, caring, and loving towards one another. In all things, we need to treat others the way we want to be treated (Luke 6:31).
“Dear God, it doesn’t feel good when people make fun of me. It hurts my feelings and makes me feel awful about myself. Please provide healing to my soul. I also ask that you help me refrain from making fun of others or bullying them. I don’t want to hurt someone else. I will treat everyone the way I want to be treated. In Your Son’s Name, I pray, Amen.”
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Antonio_Diaz
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Today we're doing something a little different. Instead of going deep in a passage, we're talking about what to do when deep feels like too much — when you need less, not more. Specifically, I'm walking you through one of my favorite practices for weary seasons: handwriting scripture.
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I'm sharing the five verses I wrote out for myself today — and why each one hit me fresh even though I've known some of them for years. This episode is part of our How to Study the Bible Podcast, a show that brings life back to reading the Bible and helps you understand even the hardest parts of Scripture. If this episode helps you know and love God more, be sure to follow the How to Study the Bible Podcast on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
