The Sting of Bullying Hurts—But You Are Infinitely Loved By The King of Kings
The sting of bullying hurts. The voices still haunt me when I remember them – forty-five years later.
“You have fat lips.”
“You look like a rabbit – your teeth stick out.”
“You walk like a chicken.”
The snickering of classmates – “She is stupid. She is repeating the grade because she failed. She can’t read a word.”
“She can’t talk either. She has to go to speech class.”
“You have big eyes.”
“He’s not your real father.”
“This is copied work—do you think I can’t tell?”
“You are skinny.”
“We don’t want her on our team—she’s no good.”
I wanted a friend. I tried to “buy” friends by giving away toys. I would carefully wrap them in tissue paper and hand them out on the bus. For a minute, I had a friend—until the bus arrived at school and then my gift was forgotten. Kids took my toys but didn’t take my friendship. I felt shamed.
Another pulled my pants down and laughed at me. I told someone—she did nothing. I felt shamed again.
I wished I wasn’t stupid. I wished I was pretty. I wished someone loved me.
Even teachers disliked me—I was the dark clown, the one at the principal’s office too many times. One day my new father showed up at school and thrust his big fist in my face—if he ever had to come down to the school again, I would never forget it.
I swung on the swing at the school playground, reciting in my head as I went up and down, “My father is going to kill me, my father is going to kill me.” I forgot what I did that day that had me so frightened—but I feared going home to face him. Fear was my constant companion. No place seemed safe.
Do I know what it’s like to be bullied? Do I know the humiliation of being shamed? The hurt goes deep. This is the most I have ever written about that pain—only because there is a message God wants me to share.
Isaiah 53:5 says, “By His stripes, we are healed.”
God sent a stray dog that showed me love. A dog found me and wouldn’t leave me—despite being carried off and dumped miles away by the apartment manager. A horrendous thunderstorm kept me awake as I lay in bed crying.
The following morning, as we were leaving on a long trip, I saw something white up the road moving quickly towards me. I dropped my pillow and ran up the street to see if it was really her. The dog quickly jumped into my arms and I hugged her furry, dirty body as tightly as I could and wept. I vowed never to let anyone take her from me again.
Gypsy was mine for eight more years. We buried her in the back yard as yet another thunderstorm unexpectedly parked overhead and rain began to fall. Is God not dog spelled backwards? I promised that day, at fifteen, everyone would know Gypsy—the dog that first shared with me the love of God—that unconditional kind of love. God first became real to me through a stray dog covered with mange.
When you have been deeply wounded, the feeling of being “flawed” is pervasive. You are convinced there is something “wrong” with you, that you are a “mistake.” Your self-worth is so low, you don’t even like yourself. It takes the work of the Holy Spirit and oftentimes counseling to undo the damage, but God is the Great Physician.
Teens need to know these truths about bullying: You are not alone. There is help available and you do not have to listen to the taunts of others. God loves you. You, child of God, are beautifully and wonderfully made. God has a plan and a purpose—a magnificent plan. He formed you before the creation of the world. You are loved by the King of the universe. You are okay.
There is an old Christian song that goes like this: “It only takes a spark to get a fire going.”
I wrote my new book, Seventh Dimension – The Door, about a young teenage girl who was misunderstood and bullied, who came from a broken home and was treated poorly at school, taunted, and falsely accused of many things.
My hope is that The Door in the Seventh Dimension Series will be the spark to get the fire going, to show bullied teens—you do not have to suffer in vain. There is hope. There is an answer. There is a future for you vastly different from your past—you are a daughter (or son) of the King. God loves you more than all the hurt and pain you have suffered. He can lift you out of the mire and muck and adorn you in clothes of immense beauty—clothes that will cover you on the inside and outside with words of value and virtue and make you as clean and crisp as newly fallen snow. As each snowflake is unique, so are you. Jesus said, “I died for you, so that you may have eternal life.”
Don’t believe the lies others tell you. Satan is the great deceiver and he prowls around looking for hurting kids and teens he can devour. God is stronger than all the demons that roam this planet. If you call out to Him, He will deliver you from your fears, from your adversaries, and from your doubts.
Jesus Christ was bullied and murdered—for you. Claim your victory in Him. Ask Him into your life. Ask Him to help you forgive all those who have hurt you. Your forgiveness will unleash the powers of the Creator of the universe to begin a good work in you.
Buy a Bible if you don’t have one. Find some sensitive-loving Christians to help you in your new journey. Believe in the power of the Holy Spirit within you to set you free. The lies Satan has hurled at you will become as nothing. Those bullies are wounded in their hearts. Don’t let them take away your joy. Look up and call on the Lord. He will answer you. He will come to your rescue. Don’t give Satan and his demons a foothold—you are a child of God, a daughter (or son) of the Risen King.
Lorilyn Roberts is a Christian author who writes children’s picture books, adult nonfiction, memoirs, and a young adult Christian fantasy series, Seventh Dimension. The first in the series, The Door, was just published (October 2012).
Lorilyn graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Alabama, which included international study in Israel and England. She received her Master of Arts in Creative Writing from Perelandra College and is a graduate of the Institute of Children’s Literature.
Lorilyn is the founder of the John 316 Marketing Network, a network of Christian authors who are passionate about promoting books with a Christian worldview.
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Here is a passage from Seventh Dimension – The Door I want to share:
By this time, the crowds had followed us. The people looked on in amazement, shaking their heads.
“Who is this man that does such miracles? Where does he come from?” they asked.
“He comes from Nazareth,” one person responded.
“Nazareth—can anything good come from there?”
The people were divided on who the healer was. Daniel watched with interest. He and the king exchanged glances. Daniel’s nod towards the king filled me with hope. How long would it be before he understood?
The king’s eyes pierced the darkness of my heart, but I did not feel judged. Goose bumps crept up my arms. Ecstasy overflowed. Joy I had not known flowed through me in a way I didn’t understand. Words weren’t necessary.
The king knew my innermost imperfections but covered my flaws with his perfection. I slipped down and sat at his feet. He placed his hand on my head and prayed, speaking to me softly.
“I love you, Shale, more than you will know. Don’t let anyone steal your joy. There’s no one else like you. Believe.”
I sobbed as I sat in a crumbled heap. I didn’t want what happened between us to end. I was changed but I didn’t know how or what it meant. One thing I did know—I wanted to be a daughter of the king.
Nathan continued walking among the crowds, sharing his healing. The amazement of the crowds grew. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
Daniel kept his eyes peeled on the king. The wheels of belief churned in his intellectual mind. He needed more time. The king smiled at me once more as we prepared to leave.
I longed to know him deeply. How could one person be so awesome, so perfect, so loving? I knew he was more than just an ordinary man.
We had almost made it back up the hill when I saw the beggar from Dothan. As he raised his hands towards the heavens, joy overflowed. I rushed up to him and he stopped worshiping to acknowledge me. A questioning look crossed his face.
“You are healed,” I exclaimed.
The man touched his eyes and then thrust his hands into the sky. “The king healed me. I can see!”
“That’s wonderful. Then you know the king, too,” I said excitedly.
The man reached for my hand and squeezed it, as he had done long ago. He smiled broadly.
“You gave me a coin once, when I was blind.”
“Yes, I did. And you prayed for me to receive a blessing.”
We stood for a moment, hands locked, and then he let me go. I smiled at him as I walked away.
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There is no pit so deep, no hurt so painful, no secret so horrid that God can’t cover it with the death of His Son, Jesus Christ. Open up your heart to the infinite possibilities of living a life of love, no longer warped by bullying or scarred by deceitful words. Where there is life, there is hope—and healing!
To buy Seventh Dimension – The Door at Amazon: http://amzn.to/UBE1Mr
To buy Seventh Dimension – The Door as an audiobook: http://bit.ly/11YrzMI
To buy Seventh Dimension – The Door at Barnes & Noble (Print): http://bit.ly/WRkUha
Thank You for taking the time to read Lorilyn’s article. To enter your name to win a copy of The Door, either paperback or Kindle, leave a comment and someone will be chosen to receive her book.
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