Read About Bullying in the Bible

 Cain had words with his brother. They were out in the field; Cain came at Abel his brother and killed him. Genesis 4:8

This was the first recorded bullying in history and it lead to the death of Abel. Cain wanted the favor God was giving his brother. He lost his temper and killed him. Human nature causes us to go after what we want no matter what we inflict on one another. Some times it's just the feeling of empowerment and control that will cause someone to bully another person.

Every day I hear on the news about some type of bullying. I am glad that people are more aware of the affect it has on people and especially children. It is a painful event that causes emotional and physical stress. It destroys self worth and causes you to question everything about yourself. The injury caused by a bully is a wound that can run so deep that it may take years to heal.

Unfortunately, no one can see the wound like you do from a bullet or a knife so there isn't always the support from family and friends. The thing that can hurt most is when you don't understand the psychological damage and then minimize the conflict.This ads to the injury and is not helpful in the healing process. An emotional injury does not always reveal itself right away. The victims will need to be able to be open about what they are suffering. They will need emotional support. We need to be sure they understand what they are experiencing such as post traumatic stress disorders or any type of anxiety. 

LOVE always protects! I Cor. 13:7

 This picture was taken in Palm Beach, April 10, 2008.

  

Sharing Struggles

Recently I have been writing about my own personal struggles with fear. It was not easy for me to write about my own weaknesses and run the risk of being ridiculed. Instead, I was not prepared for the great wave of response from readers sharing their similar struggles and being encouraged by my words. 

These blogs have been a way for me to channel my struggle in order to help others who struggle in the same way. There have been thousands of views of my blog from people in Russia, China, Malaysia, Germany, Ukraine, Britain, Canada, France & Indonesia. In the body of Christ, we should be able to share our burdens and struggles with each other.  I have experienced a sampling of Christlike love in the feedback I have received.

Loving concern for each other becomes the evidence that we have experienced  His love!

 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples” John 13:34-35.

 This picture was taken when I was driving

 through Arkansas in January 2010.

Conflict Resolution

 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.  Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4

Every conflict between friends, families, etc.  boils down to one thing: self-centeredness. Children are so adorable as babies until the terrible two's come to play and it loses it's cuteness. How many adults do we know that seem to have never outgrown those toddler terrors? Disagreements come about because we so often are just thinking about ourselves much like a toddler. A toddler is only concerned with his own needs because they are the center of their own universe.   

So often, our solution to solving conflict is avoiding the people we’re having conflict with. We move out of the neighborhood, we change friends, we stop going to the same events that they attend. We figure that our universes can’t collide! But the right solution, the godly answer, to this problem is to bring the other person into the center of our universe.  

We don't teach our children to cut off their siblings when they are small? No, that would only cause emotional anger and pain but instead we teach them to forgive, make-up and be friends again.  

If we begin to put other people into the center of our universe, and they put us in the center of theirs, then there is unity! We miss out on so many blessings when we don't follow God's best for our lives.....

This picture was taken while walking on the beach November 12, 2012