[Discoveries] 07-24-08 Bullies -- Isaiah 14:16-17 The Message

[Inspiration in Your Inbox]

/*Can this be the one who terrorized earth and its kingdoms, turned 
earth to a moonscape, wasted its cities, shut up his prisoners to a 
living death? -- Isaiah 14:16-17 The Message*/

I have a strong distaste for bullies. It probably comes from having been 
on the receiving end of a certain amount of bullying all the while I was 
growing up.

When I entered 7th grade, there was a practice among boys at Sunset 
Junior High School called initiation. The concept involved an 8th grade 
boy walloping a 7th grade boy in a place where he would rather not get 
hit, if you catch my drift. Before or after this fun little exercise, 
the 7th grader would get a free haircut compliments of the initiator.

The adults were concerned, I believe, and, true to form, responded in 
the most ridiculous way imaginable. In 6th grade, the gym teacher 
gathered us boys together and told us that we shouldn't do this. "The 
way some of you guys swing," he said, "somebody's going to get hurt."

I was completely bewildered. Did the gym teacher actually think we would 
enter Junior High and try to initiate the 8th grade boys?

Anyway, dread and fear took hold of me as I contemplated starting 
school. Once school started, I was constantly on guard. I made a beeline 
from the school bus to my class. Since nobody told me who my initiators 
were or what they looked like, my enemy could be anywhere. But after a 
few weeks of looking over my shoulder, I started to relax. Maybe I had 
been passed over. Maybe I would make it through 7th grade without the 
dreaded event occurring. Maybe I was on the home stretch to 8th grade 
and safety.

I started to take risks. There was a nice plaza in front of the school. 
I slowed down as I stepped off the bus. I stopped to enjoy the morning 
air. As I got more and more foolhardy, I even risked sitting down on one 
of the benches for a few minutes.

Then, from out of nowhere, he appeared. I knew he was one of Them. He 
looked at me with a sinister smile and pulled a pair of scissors from 
his pocket. I was trapped. I took chances and now fate had caught up 
with me.

Like a scared rabbit before a hungry fox, I stared at my tormentor, not 
knowing what to do. Then I heard an adult voice behind me.

"Young man!"

My enemy looked up. "Yes, sir," he mumbled.

"What are you planning to do with those scissors?" the adult asked. I 
turned and got a good look at my savior. It was a man I had never seen 
before. Was he a teacher? I didn't know.

The initiator fumbled with his scissors, clumsily trying to stuff them 
back in his shirt pocket.

"That's right," said the commanding adult voice. "You are doing nothing 
with those scissors. Don't you have someplace you need to be right now?"

My tormentor needed no further encouragement. He turned and double 
stepped it into the school. I watched him disappear. He was just a kid, 
like me. Just a scared little kid.

I turned to thank my rescuer, but he was gone.

I think about that when I read this verse. We have an enemy who looks 
pretty scary sometimes. But when our Savior shows up, we will see the 
enemy for what he really is. Nothing compared to our God.

Be encouraged!
Dwight

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