Bullies

Okay so we’re moving from marshmallows to bullying but hey, that’s what’s fun about being here. Every day is different:-)

I have to tell you that I’m still a bit heartbroken over the story of Phoebe Prince - the fifteen year old who was bullied so relentlessly that she went home and hung herself.

This article said:

Her books were routinely knocked out of her hands, items were flung at her, her face was scribbled out of photographs on the school walls, and threatening text messages were sent to her cell phone.

Scheibel said she had drawn the ire of the "Mean Girls" by briefly dating a popular senior football player in her first freshman weeks at the school. One student later said it felt like the whole school ganged up on her.

Then I read about these boys and their pink shirts, and it reminded that despite all the evil out there, there are kids willing to stand up and do what is right and good.

In response to Phoebe and the countless, nameless others who have been bullied and harassed, I joined YA Authors Against Bullying on Facebook. That page has many other links to stories of bullying and those who have stood up against it.

I think bullying is one of the hardest things to deal with - and it honestly never goes away. It’s not a high school issue - it’s a human issue.

Myra McEntire shared on her blog about a slew of verbal bullying that occurred on twitter just the other day. Grown up mean girls hiding behind their twitter names.

But it was this article in on Crosswalk that that seemed to put it in perspective. It’s a longer article, but well-worth the read.

When I went on The Tyra Banks Show (story here) a few years ago and shared about leaving my life as a witch and becoming a Christian, I got hate mail and threats for months afterwards. They were vicious and mean-spirited and accusatory. It was the first time I had ever experienced anything like that in my life. It was really hard, and surprisingly painful. But I had support, I had friends praying for me, and most of all, I knew that the attacks were coming because I had spoken the truth.

What happened to Phoebe and so many others is that they are targeted for simply existing. Nobody deserves that.

The bottom line is that the way Jesus teaches us to walk and to be is very different than the world’s way. We shouldn’t really be surprised at the evil humans are capable of. It’s why we need a Savior. But with God inside of us, we have the opportunity, and the responsibility, to stand up for those who are being abused. We can model what real love looks like, bestow kindness even when you're the only one. It’s not easy. But by saying nothing, we help it to continue.

Be strong and courageous. The God of the Universe is on your side.