Bullying

The elementary school which my children attend hosted a Roller Skating Party at "Skate Country" last night. I couldn't wait to get to the rink and put on my "quads" and get jammin' to the music, bustin' a few moves out on the floor and showing my kids how their dad used to do it "back in the day."

Sure enough, it was like riding a bike. I was out there gliding around looking like a real amateur! The popular songs like "Thriller" and "What does the Fox say?" blared through the loudspeakers and I skated, skidded and skedaddled around the rink having the time of my life with Faith and Joshua.

My mind drifted back in time to the "Holiday Skate Center" back in my home town of Orange, California. My long time friend Gina was a staple at the roller rink. She was poetry in motion out on the rink with her long black hair flowing in the wind contrasting with her white roller skates attached to the bottom of her skinny legs. Those good memories were quickly interrupted by a not so nice memory.

I remember being in Junior High School and going to the rink on a Saturday night with a friend. I was wearing a shirt that had a picture of a sunset on it. Some other boy didn't take too kindly to my shirt. He started bumping into me and calling me names like "faggot" and other derogatory names. His friends surrounded me while we skated counter clockwise around and around. He challenged me to go outside and fight. I was not able to skate freely. I started to sweat in fear. I didn't know what to do as this small gang of skaters on quads bullied me all evening.

This type of bullying happened to me on more than several occasions in Junior High School. That probably has a lot to do with why I love guys like Steven Segal, Jason Statham and Jason Bourne in the movies who really know how to kick other people's ass with the greatest of ease and flare. I didn't enjoy being bullied and I cannot stand watching other people be bullied.

I have always had this fantasy of being mugged and right before the guy mugs me I hold out my hand and say, "Hold on just a minute. Before you mug me you need to know something. I'm a pastor and I've been a pastor for about 25 years. So you see... I have 25 years of repressed anger built up inside of me and I am about to unload all of it on you in about 15 seconds. Just wanted you to know all the facts before we get started!"

All of this... due to bullying.

My iWitness...

Have you run into any bullies lately?
Anyone "bullying" you at work?
Home?
Neighborhood?
Church?
School?

Just because we may think out of the box, speak with an accent, dress according to our own style, walk to our own drummer, see life through loving lenses or place our trust in a Jewish carpenter who allowed himself to be bullied by the self-righteous, holier than thou religious authorities does not give anyone the right or the "go ahead" to bully us.

For those of us who are being bullied or were bullied, praise God we have a Savior who understands and empathizes with us...
Jesus knows better than anyone what it means to be the victim of bullying...

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
¹¹ “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5. 10-12)

ps - I have never been in a fight since 5th grade and I have no plans of going out and trying to get mugged to get rid of any repressed anger...I'll leave all that to the guys in the movies!