Facing Life's Bully's
I am the Mother of two boys and quite a few of those adopted kind that just show up at your house one day, most likely in the kitchen, and begin calling you Mom as well. If you have had teenagers then you know exactly what I mean. All of the kids, adopted or not are grown now and making their own way in life, but tonight my thoughts drifted back quite a few years to when they were much younger.
I am not good at remembering exact ages, but for the story sake I am going to guess that my youngest son, Bryan was around 13 years old and he and a friend had talked us into dropping them at the bowling alley alone for a few hours where they could spend a small fortune in the game room.
As the story was related to me later, the two boys were playing a round of pool when a bully came on the scene. Every town has one, and this particular night he was focused on my son. At this time in his life he had not yet begun to fill out, so he was still a bit small for his age. (He is probably going to argue that fact with me) That combined with the fact that he has tourettes, and had some pretty severe vocal ticks, made Bryan the bully's target for the evening.
The bully, (I'll continue to call him that since I don't know his name) started in taunting and and making fun of Bryans' ticks. Whatever game they were playing he would push his way in ahead of them and was just generally trying to pick a fight. Isn't it funny how the biggest bully on the block always picks the smallest guy to go after? Bryan was always a fairly passive child and rarely if ever let anyone shallow enough to make fun of his medical situation bother him in the least. He in fact usually handled it far better than I did, but this guy just wasn't going to let up until he got the confrontation he was after.
Now, not having been there I just imagine that the point came when Bryan had taken just about all he could and refused to back away and that is when the bully started backing him down, taunting and calling him out for the fight. I also imagine that about that time Bryan was wondering what he had gotten himself into. The bully was around 20 years old and apparently a very large young man that dwarfed Bryan. I pictured my baby going up against Goliath. Perhaps I should have armed him with a sling shot and stones before dropping him off!
With his young heart pounding he kept trying to back away, but the bully kept coming at him, pushing for the fight. Admit it or not, I'm sure he was getting pretty worried and looking around trying to figure how he could escape what seemed to be a sure beating. For some reason unknown to me, teen age boys just can't be seen looking scared or asking for help from any nearby adults!
As he began to brace for the inevitable he glanced past the bully and saw his older brother fast approaching along with one of those adopted brothers, both very large young men themselves and a much better match for the bully both in strength and age. I would have loved to see the bully's face when suddenly for no reason apparent to him, Bryan stood tall, puffed out his chest and threw back his shoulders, and stood his ground. The sight of his two brothers, gave him a sudden burst of courage and fearlessness.
Just before the bully was ready to pounce, there was a tap on his shoulder. He turned around only to be eye to eye with the two older brothers that were demanding to know what was going on. "That's my brother your messin' with." . It was not so much a statement as it was a warning. Now it was the bully looking around and sizing up the situation! Realizing he was now outmatched he threw up his hands and backed down. The fight was over and not a punch was thrown.
This story came to mind and made me think how we as Christians come across various bully's everyday. They're not always flesh and blood bully's, but bully's all the same. Many of them are very large and scary bully's that make us feel very small and scared.
Some are just the bully's of everyday life that are more aggravating than frightening, but even those little bully's can get the best of us sometimes, but only if we forget who we are!
We are children of God, whom he loved so much he gave his son to die for us, that we might have life and have it abundantly! Do you think that if he went to that length to save us, that he would not be there to protect us?
Just like Bryan's two older brothers took it very personally when the bully was picking a fight with their younger brother, God takes it very personally when someone or something is threatening one of his children.
When these bully's show up, whether flesh and blood, or big ugly problems that attack us and threaten to take away our peace, we need only glance around and to see that God has your back! When God is standing up for you, nothing looks very scary!
We can stand tall, puff out our chest, throw back our shoulders and meet any challenge with complete confidence no matter how small we seem in it's shadow because we know how this fight is going to end!
God will tap that bully on the shoulder and say, "Thats MY child your messin' with!"
"No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their vindication is from Me," declares the LORD. - Isaiah 54:17
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