Gingersnaps

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

Were you ever bullied as a child? The person the other children knew would not fight back? I think if we are honest with ourselves, all of us at one time or another have been on the receiving end of a bully. And if you were lucky, you had a friend in your corner who stood up for you. Defended you. Protected you. Appeared stronger than you.

I have two sisters. My sister Grace Ann is 11 months older than me. Yes, only 11 months. And my sister Micki is five years younger than me.

Since Grace Ann and I were so close in age, we were for the most part, treated like twins. Some people called us “Irish Twins”. We shared everything. A bedroom. Clothes. Secrets. Activities/clubs. We even shared the same friends.

The main difference in our personalities was that Grace Ann was not a conflict avoider. I was! I was never secure enough in who I was to stand up for myself. And because of this, I would generally let the bullies defeat me. That is… unless Grace Ann was around. I knew if she was there, she would face and defeat the bully for me. She defended and protected me. She was always in my corner.

The funny thing is, Grace Ann is one of the friendliest people I know. She certainly isn’t intimidating in any way, shape or form. People love her. And they always have. However, if she thought I was being treated unjustly, and not standing up for myself, she assumed the role of “Big Sister” (remember she is only 11 months older than me). And let me tell you, you didn’t want to be on the receiving end of that.

I could list time after time that she stood up for me. Faced my bullies. But there are two in particular that are forever etched in my brain.

One of those times happened as we stepped off of the elementary school bus in our neighborhood. A boy, my age at the time (probably 8 years old), came up behind me, jumped on my back and started hitting me in the back of the head. To this day, I do not know why! I was shocked. I didn’t even try to defend myself. Grace Ann immediately jumped into action. She threw her books down, pulled him off of my back, pushed him to the ground and gave him a good tongue lashing (at least that is how I remember it). That boy ran home and NEVER bothered me again. Grace Ann would not allow that bully to defeat me.

Another incident that was so devastating to me was when we were in High School. We both were on the rifle line of a Drum and Bugle Corps. This small group within the drum corps considered itself to be the elite part of the color guard. The members seemed to feel entitled to do whatever they wanted. One of those things was drugs. They tried to pressure us to take part and when we wouldn’t they shunned us. The problem is, it didn’t stop there for me. Since I was the youngest and the smallest (and wouldn’t stand up for myself), they often bullied me. They made sure to constantly tell me I wasn’t good enough to be a part of this elite group. And they did everything they could think of to try to make me fail or quit.

Their tactics worked. I felt insecure and intimidated. I would have quit in a heartbeat, but I was trapped. You see, my dad was the Director. So no matter what, I was “stuck” in this organization for a year! He had no idea this was going on, and I certainly was not going to tell him. 

What this group didn’t count on was that my sister, who was also younger than the rest of the members, would come to my defense. When she realized that I was being bullied, she came to the rescue. Grace Ann had my back. She was always in my corner. She confronted the entire group! Spoke (maybe yelled) her peace. And once again defended and protected me from the bullies that were defeating me.

As a child, it was a good feeling to know that Grace Ann was always in my corner. Defending me. Protecting me. When I was not strong enough to face the bullies, she was.

As adults, we still experience bullies in life that we don’t feel strong enough to handle by ourselves. These bullies may be people, circumstances, or illnesses. Broken relationships. Unemployment. Toxic environments. Disobedient children. Addiction. The question is, where do we turn for help? Who will stand up for us? Defend us? Protect us?

Quite simply, the answer is Jesus. He cares. He loves us. And He is strong in our greatest weakness.

“For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.” – Deuteronomy 20:4 (NIV)

And in Psalm 18:32 we are reminded, “He fills me with strength and protects me wherever I go.”

How awesome is it to know that we can rest in the safety of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Our Defender. Our Protector.

Jesus is in our corner. Call upon His name. He will help you stand firm against the bullies in life.

So I ask.. If God is for us, who can stand against us?