God is Bigger Than Bullies
JoanJett is long ,tall and weighs about 100 lbs. When people see her initially they are a little surprised but want to pet her. Most of the time when we walk through my neighborhood the people who live here are usually intimidated by her because of her size and she might be viewed as a bully .Deep down inside she really is a sweetheart and wouldn’t hurt a flea. Well… maybe a flea.
The recent attention the media has brought to bullying has stirred some things up in my spirit that I feel I need to address. When I was in grammar school I too was a victim of bullying. I dreaded going to school having to face this one girl everyday . In the morning on the bus , during school, and on the way home on the bus. I think that was the first time in my life I had felt so much anger towards one person.
This particular girl was mean and cruel , She pulled my hair , made fun of me and called me names and I never felt like I wanted to hurt myself as much as I wanted to hurt her. I can honestly say that her cruelty affected me into my adult life. I became withdrawn from females and didn’t have many friends because I didn’t trust anyone. Growing up most of my friends were adults and up until recently all of my friends were over fifty.
I put up walls and set up boundaries and became very controlling because no one would ever control me like that again. I grew a very thick skin and didn’t take crap from anybody and became very good at verbal abuse. My mouth was my weapon of choice and I always knew what to say at just the right time and no one would ever have the last word on me again. I developed a talent for making people feel stupid. Remember that saying “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me”? That is the biggest crock I ever heard , nothing could be further from the truth. Physical pain is there and gone but words always linger.
Fortunately for me God changed all that and taught me how to use my boldness for His purposes and not my own. I still see bullying going on in my adult life. I see young teenagers in my neighborhood pushing around old men and stealing from them. I have friends whose children are being bullied at school and it just breaks my heart on top of making me extremely angry. A month ago a 14-year-old boy in my neighborhood fighting with four or five other boys lost his life over a pair of shoes , a watch , and an Ipod.
Bullying has been around for a long time, over 2000 years. First bully encounter I can recall was David and Goliath and we all know how that ended. Why? Because David knew God had his back. There were plenty of bullies in the bible, the devil being the biggest of them all, but God was always there. Being bullied doesn’t mean you are weak , It means the person who is doing the bullying can’t handle how awesome you are.
Remember that Jesus , the Son of God , was no stranger to being bullied either. When Jesus was captured and brought before the high priest the bible says ” Then some begin to spit on Him, and blindfold Him, and to beat Him,…” (Mark 14:65) In Mark 15:17-20 it talks about how the soldiers made fun of Jesus . Twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head. They struck his head with a stick, spit on Him and mocked Him. Everytime I read that verse it truly humbles me and allows me to put my experience in perspective.
As a parent God understands our pain and anguish over the hurt of our children . He hurt and anguished over the suffering of His only Son. As a victim of bullying Jesus understands the hurt, the humiliation , and the helplessness. He also understands the importance of forgiveness. Sometimes that’s a hard pill to swallow but forgiveness isn’t for the benefit of the bully as much as it is for us. By forgiving them we release them from what they did so they no longer have a hold on us. Bullies don’t come from a happy functional place. They are not born bullies they are created and being a bully does not make you tough , anybody can kick a puppy.
I have often contemplated on wether or not to confront the girl now woman who bullied me . I pondered on what I would say , How would I act , how would I feel ? But I could only think of two things that really mattered , only two things that would satisfy me and be pleasing to God. 1) I forgive you and 2) I’m praying for you . God is bigger than your enemy and the justice and judgement are His alone. Do you know the one thing that David had that was bigger than Goliath ? His God !
” But I say to you , love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. ” - Matthew 5: 44,45
