The damaging effects of bullying

Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified. Matthew 27:26

Tonight I was watching the X factor with my beautiful wife when  one particular contestant caught my eye. She was 19 years old and share the story of being bullied in school.  She wanted to prove to herself that she was good enough to perform on the X factor stage.  She connected with each of the judges, including Simon, with the way she poured her heart out in the song. One judge mouthed to another judge "that you could feel her pain in the way she sings.",  This singer connected with a similar age judge as they both had a cause which was to help those who are bullied. This judge felt this singer's pain so much that a close camera shot caught a tear streaming down her face as singer sang her song.

Bullying continues to be a problem in our schools. Students of both sexes suffer in terms of their academic studies  because of the overwhelming fear whenever they are in school. It doesn't even matter if it is public or a Christian school because bullying happens in both places.  In my son's private Christian school we know several families whose daughter's had been bullied by other girls.  Each of them had suffered lasting effects of the bullying. Each had to withdraw from that school to escape the relentless bullying.

The video i have included on this blog was done by a high school student to give you an idea of  the damaging impact of bullying.  I think it is important as Adults to understand how bullying undermines the self worth of our young people.

If you have ever been bullied you should understand that we have a God who understands what it is like to be bullied.  It was his son, Jesus, who was bullied by the Roman guards and nailed to the Cross. When he took his last breath the bullies thought they had won, but when the stone was rolled away from the burial spot Jesus surprised the Roman guards by coming back to life.

If you had ever been bullied you can rest knowing that you have a personal savior who wants to walk with you through your journey. He will give you the strength to carry on.  

What is your September 11th moment?

¹¹ “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

  11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. John 10:11

It was just eleven years ago when four planes were hijacked by extremist terrorists with destinations being the world trade towers, the White house and the Pentagon.. Two of the planes hit the towers killing everyone on board and sending thousands of people to their deaths. A third plane crashed into the Pennsylvania country side through the heroic efforts of some passengers. A fourth plane crashed into the Pentagon again killing everyone aboard.

  Many of us remember exactly where we were the moment the planes crashed. I do.  I was on my way to work when I heard the on WCCO radio about   a small plane thought to have been a Cessna that crashed into one of the World trade towers.. Then a few moments later the small plane was changed to an American Airlines passenger jet. I remember the shock and  horror as I heard this news and thinking of the innocent victims whose lives had been lost.

. As I entered the building I worked in I saw in real time the second passenger plane crashing into the second building.  Many of us were glued to the television wondering how the survivors in the trade towers were going to be rescued. I knew that it wasn't going to be a productive day. It was this moment that the late newscaster, Peter Jennings, began smoking again. Stress and anxiety will do that to people.

What I have learned since our daughter Maria left us prematurely and suddenly is that everyone us has a September 11 moment.

What is your September 11 moment? Your moment may be the day you received the dreadful diagnosis you prayed would never happen.  Your moment could be the day your spouse walked out on you and filed for divorce. Your moment could be being told that your services were no longer needed and you were being terminated from your job.  It could be the moment in time when the emergency medical technicians told you they had done all they could, but there was nothing they could do to bring your loved one back.

Everyone has a September 11 moment that brings emotional triggers weeks, days before the anniversary of that event, or even the date itself. You may not be yourself when that date hits you and when it does tears will come to your eyes as you remember that moment in time.

Whatever your September 11 moment is the good news is that God wants to walk with you through your journey of remembrance. He wants to remind you that he watched his son be tortured and left to die on the cross.  But he did one thing better. He gave his son life when he rose again from the dead, appeared to hundreds of witnesses before ascending to heaven.  He gave us the assurance that he has paid the penalty for our sin and simply asking Christ to come into your life you can have the assurance of spending eternity in heaven.  Jesus wants to be your shepherd where he will help you navigate through the emotional minefield of your September 11.

It is when I am broken that Jesus is near to me

Matthew 5:4 reads, "God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted." Know that you can be renewed and transformed through the Great One but it takes humility in order for these experiences to take place. Human pride often blocks our dealing with painful problems. Once we finally admit our wrongdoings and failures, there can be a real solution for us. Humbling ourselves before God is the ultimate key that will allow us to experience the wonderful comfort that only the Almighty One can provide.

As a family we learned this the hard way when our daughter, Maria, died suddenly the night of June 10th, 2007. All 3 of us were broken vessels wondering if our pieces would be put back together. We felt worthless wondering if we would ever again be useful vessels for God. Where once we had gladness in our hearts for the two beautiful children God blessed us with to overwhelming sadness and despair and wondering if we would ev get out of the painful pit of sorrow.

When sadness overwhelmed our family we saw first hand God's mighty presence helping us every step of the way. We felt  the presence and the warmth of God's angels as though they were side by side each of us. We learned that it is in overwhelming darkness that God does his mightiest work. Why?  Could it be because now He has our attention and we are most open to God's spirit?

It isn't the prosperity gospel that brings us closer to him. It isn't how much we have in our bank account or how many European sports cars sit idle in your multi car garage. It isn't how many titles you can accumulate after your name, or how many zeroes are in your paycheck.

Simply, it is brokenness that brings out the best in God. It was when David was broken from his many sin's that God was able to mold him into a useful vessel.  It was in brokenness that God was able to use the Apostle Paul.

We learned as a family that in our brokenness in the days following the death of Maria that we needed to cling to God's promises, remember the past blessings, and seek Him in the following days of our painful journey that God really used the occasion to heal our hearts.

It is in brokenness that we were meant to call out to God and allow God to show us in his word the encouragement we needed to hear. The next time you feel a heavy heart I encourage you to cry out to God and wait upon him to do what he does best which is to heal you. If our family can be an example to you I assure your that He will not disappoint.