When I was eight or nine years old I had a neighbor who, although she claimed to be a friend, bullied me mercilessly. I came home crying more times than I can recount, tortured by fear and anxiety. My mother would tell the bully's parents whenever things got too rough (like the time I came home with ice in my shirt and hood after having it smashed over my head) but the next day the bully would just laugh and tell me how she didn't get in trouble and I was only making it worse on myself... Until, one fateful day my dad got fed up with his little girl ("little" meaning both daddy's little girl and runt of the "schoolyard litter"! Ha) being afraid... Dad's advice although not conventional did give me the confidence to stand up for myself and that very day when the bully was torturing me on the way home I did exactly what my daddy told me and punched her as hard as I could square in the chops! (kids, do not try this at home! Violence is never the answer... Although sometimes as exemplified in my case it can be the silencer! Ha!) Listen, I'm not saying the answer to stop bullying on the playground is punch them but maybe the answer to fear is standing up to the bully in the first place (and here we go, you're probably cluing in who I'm about to talk about, smart cookies that you are!)
Whenever I was hurting mum used to tell me God bottles his tears and when it rains outside it's really those tears being emptied out of the bottles... Or something like that. But reading Psalms 56:8 tonight I realized it's not his tears in the bottles at all... "You keep track of my misery. Put my tears in your leather container! Are they not recorded in your scroll?"
I usually feel embarrassed to cry... weak even. I don't like to let people see that side of my nature and I'm sure many of you feel the same (or maybe you're completely proud of it and are a blubbering mess, and if that's you "good for you but I don't deal well with crying so please stay away from my shoulder" ha! Just kidding!)
The thing is, God not only cares about our tears but counts & bottles them! Like any father God wants to protect His kiddies and hates to see them being knocked around by a bully! So what should you do when you're being bullied into fear and anxiety? Be a tattle-tale! That's right, go tell daddy! You may not get the response you anticipated, He may just tell you how to fight but He will help you... And the best part? Your daddy can beat up your bully's daddy! "My enemies will turn back when I cry out to you for help; I know that God is on my side." Psalms 56:9
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