Proverbs 11
15 He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it: and he that hateth suretiship is sure.
16 A gracious woman retaineth honour: and strong men retain riches.
17 The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.
18 The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward.
19 As righteousness tendeth to life: so he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death.
20 They that are of a froward heart are abomination to the LORD: but such as are upright in their way are his delight.
21 Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.
22 As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion.
(Scripture taken from the King James Version, 1987 printing. The KJV is public domain in the United States. To read this passage from The Message, go to www.biblegateway.com and do a passage lookup.)
When I was young, there was a girl who went to my church who was a bully. She was fairly popular, it seemed, but in retrospect I see that it was more a case of others being afraid NOT to be nice to her and appear to like her and be her friend. She would do really mean things, like belittle people in front of others, lie to make herself look better to others, and spread vicious untruths if it served her purpose. I felt like she made it her personal mission to make my life particularly miserable.
But the interesting thing about this story is that as an adult, I mentioned to some of my fellow school mates how miserable this person had tried to make my life as a teenager… and they all said the same thing! I never knew that she bullied everyone – and that others shared my feelings of fear, frustration, and inadequacy. Just the mention of her name made others groan at their own memories of her wickedness.
You may know someone just like this girl. You may even be bullied by someone. And it doesn’t have to be a schoolmate… it could be a sibling, a relative, a parent, or a spouse. You may be tempted to retaliate. I know I was. But my mother and others encouraged me to “turn the other cheek” and to ignore as much of her mistreatment as I could. Mother always said, “she is wanting you to respond… that is her reward. The best thing you can do is act like it doesn’t bother you.” And that was great advice.
The best thing you can do is live your life in a way that honors God and your faith… showing love and compassion to everyone – even bullies. Avoid situations that give them opportunity to react and be unkind. The Message translates verses 17-19 this way: “Kindness is rewarded-- but if you are cruel, you hurt yourself. Meanness gets you nowhere, but goodness is rewarded. Always do the right thing, and you will live; keep on doing wrong, and you will die.” (Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.)
One last thing… pray for these persons, and ask God to help them to change their wickedness. I wish I had prayed more for the bully in my life… it might have made a difference for me AND for my friends. My prayer for you today is that God would give you strength and courage to face the bullies in your life, and that you would always choose to do the right thing and live.
©2007 Debbie Robus
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