Bullying

Melissa Waldrum

Bullying seems to be on the rise in local area high schools. We hear stories of bully's picking on kids, taking their money, and belittling them in front of peers.  This is not ok with God. It is from our own hurts and pain that we act out in this way, focusing on others by controlling and manipulating them. It must give people a sense of self worth if they can bully others and push them around. Sometimes it’s even happening with students bullying teachers.  God did not put us down here on earth to manipulate and control others; he called us to “Love Others”.  How is it that some just believe they were put here to suffer?  How is it that some find their worth in treating others badly?  How is it that we have moved so far away from God's love that we find it fulfilling to be a bully or a victim?  How is it that some have not learned who they are in Christ and that we do not have to keep agreeing with the enemy?

I believe that we need to stop and take a look at ourselves internally and really check to see if this is an issue in our lives.  We all want to feel like we are in control of something.  We may not be able to control our home life, or our situations that we find ourselves in, but resorting to bullying is not the answer.  If we truly take a moment to examine ourselves we will see that God is the only one that needs to be in control of anything or anyone. We as human beings are not able to make solid good decisions without God's involvement.  Maybe we don't love ourselves enough to surrender to God.  It would seem that many take life into their own hands by trying to be something they were never intended to be, trying to gain power or money.  They build their own empires so to speak by instilling fear in others, and trying to take ownership over them.  The other side of that coin is that there are others that feel they are not worth standing up to the bullies in their lives; they just lie down and wait to be taken out, either because of fear or believing the lies of the enemy. 

Consider, for instance, little Sally who is always quiet and doesn't get caught up in drama, and just tries to get through life without any confrontation is being bullied by Helga, the big overbearing teenager with a  loud mouth, and sits there and puts up with it out of fear or doubt, which young lady is most in the wrong?  Is it Sally for putting up with it or Helga for doing it?  I mean as Christians we all have some spiritual authority.  Some may abuse it, some may really use it, and some never knew they had it to begin with. 

Sally has an obligation to God, to keep Him as the authority in her life, She needs to love Helga and not allow another human being’s view of her to determine her self worth or her future decisions.  Sally is obligated to walk in faith and not in Fear, and seek out the help of other adult leaders that can offer support and guidance in the situation. 

Helga is obligated also.  She is obligated to deal with her own pain and seek out God's deliverance for her and not project her pain and wounds onto others.  Helga needs to surrender her power and control over others to God.  Just because Helga has been hurt or manipulated and controlled doesn't give her the right to act out against others who seem weaker and easily taken advantage of.

            In this day and age that we are living in, it is important to remember where your place is in the Body of Christ.  We are not called to be weak or overbearing.  We are called to love. In fact, we are called to love God, to love ourselves, and to love others.  If we can't love God, ourselves, or others then the proper thing to do is to seek help from Godly leadership.  It's ok to tell someone you trust that you are struggling with bullying or with being bullied.  Admitting that you are struggling is the first step to God being able to deal with that wounded part of you.  We are nothing without God.  If we leave him out of even one area of our life, we are missing the blessing. 

Many have tried life without God and many have failed.  The very emotions that we are struggling with are the very emotions that God created.  It only makes sense that we should get him involved.  If we were driving a car and it broke down would we take it to someone that deals with horses, or maybe someone who does landscaping, or would we try to fix it ourselves even though we know nothing?  The smart thing to do would be to find a mechanic who specializes in cars.  The same is true with God, he created our emotions, he gave us our self-worth, the smart thing to do is to talk with him and know where he stands on who we are, and what we are worth.