Rudolph had it hard. His story ends well, but his journey to happiness was rough. He wasn’t always the “most famous reindeer of all.” We smile as we sing his song, but do you ever think about what the song actually says about Rudolph’s narrative? Let’s take a moment to do just that.
Observe: at the beginning of his story, he caught some flack. “All of the other reindeer used to laugh and call him names.”
Ouch. Rudolph had something that made him unique—his nose—but he got made fun of for it. Well, we’ve probably all been on the receiving end of some name calling (and you’re probably stronger because of it), but regardless, it’s still tough.
All it took was Santa discovering Rudolph to change everything: “Then one foggy Christmas Eve Santa came to say, ‘Rudolph, with your nose so bright, won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?” Then all the reindeer loved him! They shouted with glee! He’d go down in history!
But should it have taken Santa to turn the reindeer’s opinion of Rudolph? Of course not. But did it take Santa stepping in? Apparently. Once the big man on campus recognized Rudolph’s uniqueness as a good thing, everyone else got on board as well. As soon as Santa showed some love for Rudolph, everyone else did the same.
I’m sure we’ve all had moments we felt like Rudolph and we could empathize with his situation, but what if there’s a Rudolph in our lives that we aren’t noticing? We may not be one of the reindeer making fun of or excluding, but what if we’re an elf watching all this unfold and not doing anything about it?
If you feel like you aren’t at the same level of influence as Santa, rest assured, that doesn’t really matter. Any elf could have stepped in to help Rudolph, making him feel like someone appreciated him or at least wanted to be his friend.
So when you’re at work, with a group of friends, heading to class, or spending time in any community you’re a part of, take a look around. Who’s getting overlooked? Is someone being cast aside? Be bold and step in to befriend them.
You never know the difference you could make in their lives—or the difference they could make in yours.