purpleducks

reflections on belonging, the church and a guy named Jesus

A book with a funny name will be out soon. What in the world is a purple duck? Without giving away the title’s meaning, think of it this way, two purple ducks would feel out of place in a flock of brown ducks flying south for the winter. They may not even be allowed to join in on that vacation flight. Has that ever been you? Excluded because of some physical deformity or maybe a mental one? Different looks and different thoughts are  the top two reasons people exclude others from their groups, whether that group is a circle of friends or an organization like a church.

The following quote is from my book Purple Ducks: Reflections on belonging, the church and a guy named Jesus. I found the quote in a prayer journal at a major Christian university. Why did she have these feelings. Wasn’t she surrounded by Christians on this campus? If there’s one type of people who should give off a sense of belonging, it should be Christians. Okay, don’t get me started, you’ll read enough stories of Christian exclusion within the pages of Purple Ducks.

“My roommate and all my friends from high school have found some group to belong to. I haven’t found my group yet. I don’t even know if I’ll come back after the semester break, because I don’t feel like I belong…I feel ugly and fat and no one seems to like me.” – unknown college student

Have you ever asked these questions?

“Why don’t I fit in with others?”

“Why do I want to be part of their group?”

“Why doesn’t anyone like me?”

“Why won’t they let me belong?”

“Why did God make me this way?

“Why doesn’t anyone else feel this way?”

Have you ever made these statements?

“I wish someone liked me.”

“I’m not coming back here again.”

“I thought Christians were supposed to be nice.”

“I don’t want to belong to their group anyway.”

You are not alone!

To be honest, and that’s pretty much what my book blasts the reader with, I have asked many if not all of the above questions and spouted those statements numerous times. I have been one of those who have not belonged. In 10th grade I shared a locker with my friend Tony. He was a nosy fellow and searched through one of my spiral notebooks in which I had listed words that describe me, words such as kind, fun, intelligent, shy and affable. I can’t remember the entire list but one day when I looked at it, I saw one extra word scribbled from a different hand… the word “weird.”  Being weird or just thought of as weird doesn’t help a person belong.

“Weird.” Is that you too? If it was or still is… I am sorry. I apologize that people have to put others down just because their own self-esteem is so low. I am sorry that others have to exclude so many just to feel better about themselves. Such a shame and the cause for so much bad in this world.

Sign up below to get more information on Purple Ducks the book.  I’ll be announcing a release date and more importantly, the date you will be able to reserve your copy.