“Why don’t you just get lost, you freak,” a group of angry mermaids shouted at a wiry little mermaid in front of them. She was crying, and her face was hidden in her hands.

“Yeah! "You don't have blue skin, a beautiful fish face, brown eyes, or red hair like us, so you don’t belong here! You’re nothing like us—so why don’t you just leave already!”

AJ had been enduring this sort of treatment ever since she started at this school a few years back. All the other mermaids at her school had light blue skin. AJ had olive green skin. The other mermaids had fish faces (how beautiful!), deep brown eyes, and bright red seaweed-like hair. AJ had a human face (how hideous!), gold eyes and stringy purple hair with bright pink streaks running through it.

But the problems weren’t just happening at school. They’ve been happening for as long as AJ could remember. 

When AJ was born, her parents were shocked to find that she looked nothing like them. They didn’t quite know what to do with their embarrassment, so they hid AJ from others. They never took AJ out anywhere. There were no fun shopping trips, no outings of any kind, no birthday parties, and absolutely no visits with friends. Her life was lonely and depressing, and nobody seemed to care about it whatsoever.

AJ hoped that she would make friends at school. But that wasn’t the case. The moment the other mermaids saw her, they were repulsed by how she looked. Some mermaids even went to the nurse, saying that when they saw AJ, they immediately felt sick to their stomachs.

As if all that wasn’t bad enough, school picture day was the absolute worst. AJ knew she didn’t look like the other mermaids, so she put a paper bag over her head and drew a fish-like mermaid face on the bag to look like everyone else. The photographer wasn’t amused, and asked AJ to take it off. When he saw her, he immediately asked her to put it back on, and never took pictures at that school again. 

AJ took her school picture home, tears streaming down her face. When she got home, she found a picture of her mother at her age. Her mother was a rainbow mermaid, one of the most beautiful mermaids in the sea. AJ looked nothing like her. She crumpled up both pictures, threw them out, and then broke every mirror in her house.

In her despair, AJ took some markers and painfully scribbled on her arms and legs until they were as blue as she could make them. And although it made her terribly allergic, she ran red dye through her hair, too. AJ was so focused on changing herself that she forgot she lived underwater: the dye wouldn't stay in her hair, and the markers came off just as quickly as she painted them on. 

Every time AJ agreed with what others said about her, a dirty brown barnacle would appear and attach itself to her body. And try as she might, she couldn't pry them off. So now AJ was stuck with green skin, a human face, gold eyes, purple hair AND a bunch of nasty barnacles she couldn't pull off.

So when the onslaught of taunts from the Pretty Mermaid Squad turned into a song about how “I’m blue; if I was green, I would die, if I was green, I would die,” AJ finally had enough. She was going to run away from home and never come back.

After her parents went to bed, AJ quietly packed up all her belongings, swam out her window, and launched out into the unknown.

AJ swam as hard and as fast as she could. She got to the farthest place she had ever been from home before…and stopped. She just floated there in the water, lost in thought. She tried thinking about a good memory from the past—anything to keep her to stay—but she couldn’t think of a single solitary memory that was happy. The only feeling she was aware of was pain—and the only desire she was aware of was wanting to get away. She pressed past the point of no return and swam into the uncharted waters in front of her.

Almost instantly, AJ heard the words of a song forming deep inside her:

"If you want to know who you are,

come to the land above, below the stars.

It is there, courageously, that you will find,

the answers to all the riddles of your mind."

AJ had no idea where this song was coming from… so she tried to ignore it. But as she swam harder and faster, the song got louder and louder in her heart until it was almost deafening.

“If only I had someone I could ask about this…” as the words were coming out of her mouth, AJ swam directly into an old merman holding a white stick in front of him. 

“I’m so sorry, sir, I didn’t see you there,” AJ said.

“It’s quite alright, deary, I didn’t see you either.” 

“That’s good, because if you did, you’d probably be horrified by what you saw anyway,” AJ said.

“I’m not so sure about that. So where are you off to in such a hurry?”

“I’m running away from home.”

“I see, I see. Where are you running to?”

“I honestly don’t know. I was just going to keep going in this direction until I found somewhere to stay… but this weird song just came to me, and now I don’t know what to do.”

“A song, you say? Do you remember any of the words?”

AJ thought for a moment and the words came to her again, clear as crystal. 

"If you want to know who you are,

come to the land above, below the stars.

It is there, courageously, that you will find,

the answers to all the riddles of your mind," AJ said, impressed she could recite it so easily. "I'm not sure, but I think the song is calling me to go to the lands above."

"Go above? Are you sure? I've not heard of any mermaids, or merman for that matter, who've gone to the lands above. Hmm, let's think about this for a moment. What did the voice in the song sound like?"

"What do you mean?"

"Did it sound angry? Mean?"

"No. It sounds kind of loving. Peaceful, I guess."

The old merman stroked his beard. "I've heard of things like this before, terrible and wonderful things. I wonder if this is the All Wise One calling out to you..."

"The All Wise One? How could I possibly stand in the presence of someone who knows literally everything there is to know about me? He'll know I'm running away from home and he'll probably just send me back. Not only that, but how could I possibly go to a place no mermaid has even gone before? And then, even if I do make it, how am I going to find the All Wise One?"

"These are great questions. All I can say to you is if it really IS the All Wise One calling out to you, you must trust His wisdom and go at once. He will protect you, and I have a feeling you won't have to find Him; He will find you! Maybe, just maybe, you're being called into something great!"

As AJ thought about what the old merman said to her, he reached into his pocket and brought out an old compass.

“I found this old compass when I was a youngling. After I lost my sight, the All Wise One told me that I would one day find someone who is greatly lost and in need of direction, and that I should pass it on to them. I think the time for me to do that is now."

The old merman held out the compass for AJ to take. AJ took it and smiled. This was the first real present she had ever received from someone outside her family.

"This compass has never guided me wrong, not once. As long as you keep heading due north, you will reach the spot where some have said the All Wise One was last seen. Best of luck to you, deary."

AJ thanked the old merman, looked down at her new compass, and started to head north. For the first time in a long while, she felt good inside-- and she saw some of the beauty of the sea she had been missing.

She didn't realize it before, but there were fish and creatures all around her-- fish that were the most brilliant colors she had ever seen. It was like everything bleak and dark was starting to come alive with color and life.

As AJ twisted and turned, and soaked in some of the color and beauty around her, she felt the old familiar barnacles digging into her skin.

"Great. Just my luck. Enjoy myself a little bit and wham! Right back to reality."

AJ had almost forgotten about the barnacles. As she reached to scratch them, she saw something shiny in the distance. As she got closer to it, she saw that it wasn't an object-- but a black dragon fish dressed in a fancy suit.

"Good day, miss. I saw you doing all sorts of twists and turns. Where are you off to in such a delightful hurry?"

AJ had never talked to a dragon fish before, but after such a positive interaction with the merman, she thought she'd try her luck again.

"I'm heading to the surface on a special trip."

"The surface?! Why would you ever want to go there for?! Strange things are known to happen there, things that are not natural!" 

"I was told to go due north," AJ said as she showed the dragon fish her compass.

"Ah, I see," the dragon fish said as he looked at the compass. "This old compass is busted! See the needle there? It's bent. I'll trade you your compass for one of mine."

At this, the black dragon fish opened his suit coat to reveal all sorts of trinkets. 

"This compass here is one of my best ones. It'll probably take you out of the way for a while, but it'll get you where you need to go. Trust me; you don't want to pass up a deal like this!"

As AJ considered what the dragon fish was telling her, she heard another chorus beginning to rise in her heart:

"A deviation an inch wide now,

Leads to a mile wide deviation later!

Trust wise counsel from a blind friend,

Over the slick trinkets of a slimy creature!"

Just like before, the chorus echoed in AJ's heart over and over again until the dragon fish broke her train of thought: "So if you're ready, I'll show you a much better way."

AJ started to follow him, but then stopped suddenly. She felt strongly compelled, like her life depended on it, to listen to the merman's advice and stick to the plan he gave her.

In a moment, the dragon fish turned from what seemed like a friendly guide to snapping angrily at her, showing his true colors.

"Fine! Don't follow me! Just know that any freedom you’re looking for will be gone when you reach the top. But don’t say I didn’t warn you, fool!”

AJ had gotten pretty good at ignoring the insults of others. Looking down at her compass, she re-adjusted her course, due north, for the surface.

As the dark waters of the deep were getting lighter and lighter, AJ felt her heart beating out of her chest. The surface was only inches away now.

Her plan was to hold her breath, poke her head out of the water, look around real quick, and then drop below the water to exhale. She took a few deep breaths, pushed her head above the water...and marveled.

The moon above was so bright to AJ's eyes that she immediately squinted in discomfort. This was the first time she, or anyone she knew of, broke through the surface of the waters to see the world above. She dropped back under the water, exhaled, took another deep breath, and poked her head up again.

This time, she tried to calm herself down so she could take in her surroundings. As she lingered above the water, everything was lifeless and still. The moon’s reflection was bright on the water, and everything looked safe. Right before she went back under the water, though, something in the distance caught her eye. It was walking ON the water, right toward her! 

AJ darted back underwater and held her breath as long as she could. In moments, whoever was walking toward her was now standing right above her on the water! AJ froze, closed her eyes tight, and tried to stay as still as possible.

A strong, loving voice broke into her chaos: “I see you there, child. There’s no need to hide from Me. I’m so glad you came!”

AJ opened one eye and she saw the man crouching on the water, looking down at her. “Why don’t you come up here so we can talk?”

“But, sir,” AJ said, “I’m a mermaid and we can’t breathe above the water.”

“That may be true normally, if you came up here by yourself. But I am up here. Come and see for yourself.”

Was this what the dragon fish warned her about? Maybe the man on the water was trying to trick her and he would make her life worse than it already was.

“I know what you’re thinking, child. I AM the One the dragon fish warned you about, the One who does strange things in these parts. But no, I am not trying to trick you, and no, I am not going to make your life worse than you think it is. Far from it!”

At this, AJ poked her head above water, exhaled slowly, and then breathed in the air above with the same ease that she breathed below.

AJ looked around and saw a large flat rock. She mustered all the courage she could, climbed out of the water, and tried to sit on the rock. Sitting was a brand new skill for her and it was very awkward at first. But something about this man calmed her nerves, and she tried until she got it.

Finally comfortable, AJ had some questions for the man.

"How is it that you are standing on the water? I didn't think humans could do that."

"I'm no mere human, AJ."

"So are you really the All Wise One?" AJ asked. 

“I Am." His eyes were tender and loving. It reminded her of the way other parents looked at their children, and how she wished her parents would look at her.

"Since you're the All Wise One, you must already know that I'm running away from home, huh?"

"I do, but I want to hear from you why."

"I'm a freak! All the other mermaids have  blue skin and brown eyes and red hair. I look nothing like them! And then, when I try to do something about it, all these awful barnacles appear. Why was I made like this?"

"I made you like this, AJ."

"Wait a minute. You made me like this?! Why would you do that?! 

At this, AJ started to lose it. She started to scream and claw at her face with her nails. Her screams were deep and awful, the culmination of years of mistreatment and pain. As she did, more barnacles appeared. 

"I can't believe you did this to me! Why?! What did I ever do to you?! Do you know how hard it's been to face constant rejection day after day… and it all could have been avoided?! I hate what you've made me! Maybe that dragon fish was right. You're not bringing me freedom-- but just more pain!"

AJ was livid! As she angrily clawed all over her body, more and more barnacles appeared until she was almost completely covered by them. With tears streaming down her face, she reached out to the All Wise One.

"If you really care about me, please help me… please…"

Filled with compassion, the All Wise One moved toward her and hugged her tight. Just then, all the barnacles covering AJ's body started to detach themselves from her, and one by one attached themselves to Him.

As the barnacles latched onto Him, He cried out in deep anguish. Collapsing under the weight, he dropped to one knee, and then fell completely into the water.

Seconds felt like minutes and minutes like hours. Just then, when all hope seemed lost, the All Wise One sprang up out of the water, not a single nasty barnacle in sight!

He landed on the surface of the water, his eyes blazing like fire. He took a few deep breaths and exclaimed with authority, "It is done! The barnacles that have defined you are gone, never to return, for I have buried them in the deepest part of the sea. AJ, you are free!"

At this, AJ broke down and started to sob. "I'm so sorry for what I said to you. I was just so mad at everything and--"

The All Wise One lovingly interrupted her. 

"It's okay, child. My chest is big enough to handle your deepest pain. Now that you're free, may I tell you how I see you?"

AJ looked at him through her tears. "How you see me?" 

"Yes, child, how I see you. I gave you green skin because green is the color of life. I made you to exude my life. And the more you get to know me, the more you will!"

AJ blushed a little. The All Wise One smiled, and continued: "You have golden eyes because gold is valuable. Every time you see yourself, I want you to see just how valuable you are to me. And I gave you purple hair, with pink streaks through it, because, as you'll see in a moment, there are few things more beautiful than a purple and pink sunrise. AJ, you are that beautiful to me!"

As the All Wise One said this, almost like it was planned, the sun rose and the sky was awash with the most glorious purple and pink colors she had ever seen. 

"Wow. So that's how you see me, huh?"

"Yes, that is how I see you. In my eyes, AJ, the only eyes that matter, you are filled with life, value, and beauty. Do you agree with how I see you?"

AJ thought for a moment, and then nodded yes. As she did so, a beautiful dress formed over her, covering all the places where the barnacles used to be.

AJ looked at the new dress forming over her. "Wow, what feels different than just an ordinary dress. What is this?"

"I am fusing my strength, as a covering, over you. To others, it'll look like an ordinary dress. But you'll know the difference."

"Thank you. This feels so much better than those nasty barnacles. Now that they're gone, can you tell me why they were there in the first place?"

"Any time you agree with things that are not true of you, a barnacle forms. Never forget, AJ, that you have a choice what you're going to agree with: you can agree with lies, which leads to barnacles...or you can agree with the One who sees everything there is to see about you, and loves you just the same. One choice leads to pain, whereas the other leads to life. You're going to need to know that for your return trip to your family and school…"

At this, AJ's heart sank. She completely forgot about her family and her school. 

"Do I really have to go back?" AJ whined. She was hoping beyond hope that she could just stay with the All Wise One.

"Yes, child, you need to return. Your family, and the other kids at school, need to experience the healing I gave to you here. You are now a carrier of the new life I gave you. What I do for one, I can do for all."

"Wait a sec, though. My family…and the other mermaids at school, do they have barnacles too?"

"They do; you just can't see them. Their hearts are covered in them. That's one of the reasons I brought you here: to make you come alive, and to fill you with lasting value and beauty that comes only from Me. As you receive these gifts, I want you to return and testify of my work in you, in hopes that they, too, will let me deal with the barnacles inside them."

AJ thought about this and how this whole adventure for her started with a song.

"I'm curious...have you been singing to them like you did for me?" 

"I sing over all my creation to come to Me, AJ, but only a few do. Some settle for a lesser life of their own making. But you were different. The pain you felt drove you to me, and I'm so glad it did. Even though you're heading home, I will never stop singing over you, AJ. My songs will affirm how I see you and give you the direction and strength you need!"

AJ's heart felt full. Even though she didn't really want to go back, the thought of returning with the All Wise One with her filled her with hope.

AJ and the All Wise One continued talking until the sun had risen in all its strength. The birds came out and AJ thought they were the cutest things, seeing as how she had never seen or heard one before.

"Come, child, it's time to return."

AJ hugged the All Wise One and He told her, again, just how much He loved her. 

"AJ, pull out your compass quick. I want to show you something you may have missed."

She pulled it out, and He told her to turn it over. When she did, she started to cry. The back of the compass was a beautiful mirror that had the words "Alive, Valuable and Beautiful" engraved on it.

AJ wiped the tears from her eyes, hugged Him again, and then dove into the water, a mermaid freed by love.

As she made her way back home, the words of a new song emerged in her heart:

"My child, my love, 

Keep seeing yourself as I do.

And in time, as you do,

Watch what I do in and through you!"

AJ went home and her parents frantically swam out to meet her. "Oh AJ, where have you been? We were worried sick! We even had the cops out looking for you!" 

"I ran away because I thought I had no value to anyone."

"No value? AJ, we were beside ourselves when we woke up and you weren't here. We may not always see eye to eye on things, but you're our daughter and we love you."

"Thanks, Mom." 

"Now why don't you get yourself cleaned up and get some rest. We'll talk about your consequences once you've slept. And AJ?" 

"Yeah?"

"Nice dress. Did you get that from a friend?" 

"Yeah, my new best friend."

After a good long rest and a not-so-good talk with her parents about being grounded for a month, AJ caught the second half of the school day.

"Look, here comes AJ! I thought we told you to leave and never come back!"

AJ just looked at them, held their gaze, and just kept on walking. There was a new strength, grace, and peace about her that was disarming and powerful. 

As AJ kept listening to the All Wise One, as she kept believing that she was alive, valuable, and beautiful in His eyes, she started to see the mermaids at her school through different eyes, too. They had barnacles to deal with, just like she did.

Little by little, some of them stopped teasing her as much, and one of the squad members even asked AJ what she had that the others didn't.

Her family saw something different in her, too, something new and radiant, and they slowly became less embarrassed about her. Like AJ, her parents were a work in progress.

Her birthday was coming up, and instead of getting her plastic surgery like they originally planned, they decided to throw her a party instead (her first one ever). 

A few kids from school showed up, and AJ wore her new dress as a reminder of what was true of her, no matter what.

And even though she couldn't see the All Wise One, she had a sense that He was singing over her, even now.

With her family and a few new friends surrounding her, AJ smiled and sang quietly to herself:

"My child, my love, 

Keep seeing yourself as I do.

And in time, as you do,

Watch what I do in and through you!"

For you see, when we, too, hear the song the All Wise One sings over us, the wisest thing we can do is follow his song to our freedom! To see ourselves through the only eyes that matter and to believe that we are certainly, definitely, and absolutely special to Him, this leads us to a life of value and beauty, a life that others may eventually want, and a life that's truly worth living!

Psalm 34:5 (NIV): Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.