I've had similar experiences, seeker. Talking about Jesus to someone, and then they look me up and down, say, "Do you know gluttony is a sin?" and walk away. The thing is, the books I'm reading state that the majority of obese people don't actually eat as compulsively as the general public thinks they do. I don't. I binge occasionally, but I also go through periods where I won't eat because I feel ashamed of being so fat. I don't constantly munch, day in and day out, from sunrise to sunset, like some seem to think obese people do. (Watch an obese character in a made-for-tv movie. They'll be snacking without cessation, or constantly talking about food when they're not eating it.)

You know, I mentioned doctors--I will definitely not see a doctor again if he/she says to me (and it has been said!) "You have to get to where you eat to live, not live to eat." What an insult! As if I have nothing going on in my life except to stuff my face, and it's what I live for!

I get the point about not hating back, but I do think Perna's reminder that what I think of rude people is more important than the condemning opinion they've just expressed of me, is something I need to remember. Not liking someone who is mean enough to mock me, isn't the same as hating them. I've heard, and I believe, that the opposite of love is not hate; it's indifference. You can't hate someone unless you care enough about them that you'd love them if they'd let you. And I need to work on not caring enough about those people to respect their opinion of me.

Nice job handling the heckler.