God Says NO To Bullying!
Hello Hump Day readers. Today is National Stop Bullying Day, which falls on the second Wednesday in October. Bullying happens in countries all over the world and each year we find it ramping up instead of simmering down. A couple weeks ago one of my favorite families came to camp at Abiquiu. Their kids are so much fun but one thing caught me when they arrived, the middle son was quiet and seemed withdrawn. His mom looked at me and I saw her tears and I said, let’s get together when you can. We did, she told me “Derek is bullied in school. He’s lost his smile and lives with fear. The school is doing nothing about it. This kid has done this for several years to boys and girls who are Latino, Indigenous Black or poor. We are going to court about this since the school does nothing, but get this, even the teachers are afraid of this kid.” That just hit me like lightning.

Bullying can change a life for young and old. Here is some history about NATIONAL STOP BULLYING DAY. “It wasn’t until the 1970s that the issue began to be researched. Dr. Dan Olweus, a Norwegian psychologist, spearheaded efforts to better understand and prevent bullying. In 1983, in response to the tragic suicide of three boys who were being bullied, Dr. Olweus developed a bullying prevention program that helped to inform American anti-bullying efforts in the 1990s. In 1999, after the school shooting at Columbine. To combat bullying, anti-bullying laws-policies were introduced, and teachers focused on empowering bystanders, policing classrooms and hallways, and punishing and reforming the bullies. Georgia and California were quickest to adopt anti-bullying legislation and then it went viral in North America and now around the world. On this day people wear orange shirts.”

This hurt rattles our heart and makes us mad. How do we stop this? Despite the rules about bullying, we still see it in schools, libraries, work places–even churches! You will find these words in schools: STOP BULLYING, but it continues over and over again So, I went into Scriptures about this awful stuff and found 20 Scriptures about bullying! Here’s just a few:

“Anyone who claims to live in God’s light and hates a brother or sister is still in the dark.” 1 John 2:9 [MSG]

“Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know very well that eternal life and murder don’t go together.” 1 John 3:15

“Do not take revenge on others or continue to hate them, but love your neighbors as you love yourself. I am the Lord.” [MSG] Leviticus 19:18 [GNT]

And my favorite is Zechariah 7:8-10 from The Message: [THIS IS THE MESSAGE THAT GOD GAVE ZECHARIAH.] “Well, the message hasn’t changed. God-of-the-Angel-Armies said then and says now: “Treat one another justly. Love your neighbors. Be compassionate with each other. Don’t take advantage of widows, orphans, visitors, and the poor. Don’t plot and scheme against one another, don’t be a bully—that’s evil.’”

As I think of my young friend, Derek, I wonder how many have to go through such a devastating encounter. No doubt we all have our “bullies” and we may, at times, be one of them as well. Here are two statistics that will get your blood run cold: Adolescents who both bully others and are bullied themselves, often called bully-victims, have one of the highest rates of suicidal ideation and attempts and the perpetrators of bullying show that youth who bully others are also at a higher risk of psychological distress and suicide.

What can we do about bullying? Share the words God wants us to speak—love one another, care for one another, help those in need…we know these words. May they be on our tongue instead of what we might want to say. O Lord, help us to be kind and give us the strength to step in and say “God does not accept bullying so stop it right now!” AMEN!