It’s not easy being green. We’ve heard these words through several generations now from Kermit the Frog or one of the many artists who have covered the song since it aired on Sesame Street in 1970. If you listen to it like you’re five years old, it just sounds like Kermit is complaining about being a boring color that blends in with leaves and grass. He wants to be a brighter color, or maybe something sparkly or flashy so he stands out.
With adult eyes and ears, we can take a deeper dive into the lyrics and understand that Kermit felt different from everyone else. He was passed by because his color made him seem unimportant. He didn’t just feel like he was boring - he had been treated poorly by people because he was green.
As someone who has spent my whole life feeling green in one way or another, I’ve always related to Kermit (especially that he wishes he could be sparkly). More often than not, though, I hoped I would blend in and go unnoticed rather than suffer the consequences of being recognized as different. When you are green, It is impossible to know when you walk down the street or into a room full of strangers who might have a reaction to who you are - not just a negative reaction, but potentially a violent one. There were times I thought the world was getting better about this, but the pockets of hate about all kinds of green are still big and loud.
I wish I knew what the answer was. In part, I think it is important to acknowledge that all kinds of hate are still affecting people’s lives. People are being targeted because of their race, gender, sexuality, social status, religion … and they are being targeted both religiously and politically.
During our season of Epiphany, we decorate our church in green as a symbol of growing. We hear of Jesus’ first miracles, which he performs without bias, despite what the church leaders and government would want him to do. Jesus gives us this example so that we, as his followers, will also look beyond the preconceived biases we might have to share his love in the world.
By the end of the song, Kermit realizes that green is also the color of spring, and it can be big like an ocean or important like a mountain. Once he took some time to reflect on what it really meant, he found that he had been tainted by his prejudices.
“I'm green and it'll do fine
It's beautiful, and I think it's what I want to be”
John Johns