Bullies have been around for centuries. They are present in every civilization, community and practically everywhere you will find human beings. They terrorize those who are different from them and use their strength or power to cause pain.
Bullying is when someone physically hurts you or verbally abuses you. This includes racist comments based on your skin colour or ethnicity, religious bullying; being bullied because of your beliefs, being bullied because you are extremely clever; some people are naturally gifted and other people are jealous of this or can’t stand it, being bullied because of your gender; this is very common in male dominated communities and lastly, cyber bullying; any type of bullying that happens online. Often times, individuals become bullies because they themselves have been bullied in the past, they may have many fears, insecurities and personal issues but struggle to deal with it so they take it out on those around them. Others choose to bully because they lack accountability; they feel justified in their behaviour and think they will get away with hurting other people.
Bullying can leave some scars on the victim both emotionally and physically. It can leave people feeling isolated, worthless, lonely and constantly anxious. It can lead to depression, lack of confidence, eating disorders and in extreme cases, suicide. Bullying is very serious and can make life unbearable for the victim.
There are many examples of bullying in the bible. One of the first bullies we meet, is Egypt’s Pharaoh. He used his power to bully God’s people into slavery for 300 years until God finally had enough of. To deal with him, God sent 10 plagues embarrassing Egypt’s gods and Pharaoh’s pride. Another instance of bullying in the bible is in Daniel 6. Daniel was favoured by the king because he was very good at his job, however, his colleagues were jealous of his success so they decided to use his faith against him. Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den as result but to everyone’s surprise, he was unharmed. His colleagues who accused him later ended up in the same den but this time, none of them made it out alive.
The general idea here is that God hates bullies and He will fight for His children. He will always seek to humble those who terrorise His children, just like He did with Pharaoh and Daniel’s colleagues and others. If you are a victim of bullying at school, work or even church, I want to encourage you that God sees your pain and He will fight for you. If you have been the one doing the bullying and want to repent, there is always grace available for you. Paul the writer of 14 of the 27 new testament books started his story by being a bully. He pursued and persecuted many Christians until he met Christ on the road to Damascus and was humbled. Paul was transformed to be the greatest apostle the church has ever known.
Claud Jaiyeola
Song Recommendation
In Jesus’ Name - Israel Houghton