Sticks and Stones

We have all heard the cliche phrase: "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me". I'm not sure about you, but words do hurt me, a lot. It would be so nice to ignore every hurtful/ hateful comment, but its harder than you think. I have struggled with this my entire life. There have been times where I just wanted to give up and stay in bed. But through the strength that God gave me I did get up and I continued pushing through all of the hurt and the hate.

I have always been afraid to face those that bullied me in the past. I felt so weak every time that they saw me, or were near me. For the most part I have been weak because I have been trying to fight these battles alone. When my sister was bullied I always turned to the Lord for strength and guidance and I felt like I was doing something right. However, when it came down to me being bullied I did not turn to God. I did not want to admit that I was weak and that I needed help. So I would hide away and feel like nothing whenever a bully was near.

Over the course of my freshman year of college the bullying got worse. Not only was I bullied in the classroom, but in my dorm, in my own room. My relationship with the Lord was stronger than it had ever been before, so when it came time to face my biggest bully, I turned toward the Lord. I asked Him for His guidance and His help. I was afraid that I was going to get to angry and act on that anger. When it was time to talk I was able to keep calm in a very heated situation.

It took me a year to get out of that terrible situation but I came out of that situation as a stronger Christian. When I ran into the person who tormented me today I was able to look that person in the face even though they cannot look me in the face. My favorite Bible verse fits this situation perfectly, and that is one of the reasons I lean on the verse.

I lift my eyes unto the hills where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord the maker of heaven and earth! Psalm 121:1-2.

My challenge for you today is to pray for those that have hurt you, and pray for your own healing. Do not continue to look away when you face the person, instead look at them and show them the love of Jesus. Most importantly pray that the Lord can help you forgive. I am still working on the forgiveness part of my situation but I continue to pray about it and I will continue to work on it. If you have been the bully, go to the person that you bullied and ask for their forgiveness; take responsibility for your actions and turn your sin to the Lord to receive His forgiveness as well. 

And remember that at the end of the day, regardless of how others see you and treat you, you are not worthless. God believes that every one of us is worth it and He proved that when gave His only son so that we could live. He made us worth it.