I was reminded recently that I’ll soon be entering a stage of life where my children will deal with bullies. Time has removed me from the days when I was on the receiving end of bad treatment from people who didn’t like me. And it has also afforded me compassion for those bad actors. But I know soon my children will come face to face with bullying of some sort. While I pray that they aren’t too affected by the actions of others, I want them to have the courage, patience, and compassion to handle bullying with an eye toward their neighbor. I need to instill in them the knowledge and comfort that Jesus sees their pain, relates to it, and loves unconditionally.
Jesus Sees Bullying
Genesis 16 might seem like a strange story to bring up on the topic of bullying, as it relates to adultery, but it shows us that God sees our pain. In this account, Abram and Sarai (later Abraham and Sarah) long for a child so much that Sarai tells Abram to sleep with her maidservant, Hagar. Hagar becomes pregnant and Sarai starts treating her so badly that Hagar flees. God sends an angel to comfort and strengthen her to return to the family. After this, the Word says:
So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen Him who looks after me.”
(Genesis 16:13)
God sees it all. He knows that you or your children are being mistreated. And we know that when He sees it, He acknowledges it and He cares.
Jesus Relates to the Bullied
Not only do we have a God who sees our struggles and times of mistreatment, but we have a God who has experienced it. Jesus could be seen as the ultimate victim of bullying, and He constantly rose above the bullies in His life by serving others around Him and asking God to forgive those who made fun of Him, called Him names, and hit Him because they didn’t know what they were doing. It wasn’t easy for Him, but Jesus behaved righteously. Jesus remembered He was God’s Son and His Father loved Him, so He didn’t let the lies people were telling Him make Him doubt God’s love. Jesus’ example to us in the face of bullies is a firm foundation for dealing with those who do not treat us well. He not only sees our pain but He also intimately knows exactly how it feels to be an outcast, physically harmed, and constantly sought after specifically for the purpose of being put down.
Jesus Loves Both the Bullied and the Bully
The often-cited John 3:16 reminds us that “God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son” (emphasis added). The world includes the downtrodden, the often-forgotten, the brokenhearted. The world also includes the powerful, the prideful, and, yes, the bullies. I know that I am bent toward the wrong things often, and my thoughts and feelings toward my own bullies were not righteous. And if someone was harming my children, I wouldn’t immediately go to compassion. But Jesus shows us another way.
But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matthew 5:44–45)
It’s not an easy thing to pray for those who harm, but it is what Jesus tells us to do. And it shows us that His love is greater than our bad actions and not dependent on how others treat us.
Your children can remember the words of Ephesians 2:10 to help guard their hearts:
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
When your child is bullied, this helps them remember that they are God’s own child, the work of His creation. They are so loved by Him that Jesus came for them. When they are the bully, they need to remember that they were created to walk in good works, that Jesus’ love is for them, and that they are called to shine His love to others.
I may not yet have direct experience with teaching children who are bullied to stand up in courage with love, but God’s Word is helping to equip me. I pray that you also experience peace knowing that Jesus sees, relates to, and loves all.
Scripture: ESV®.
Use this month’s Everyday Faith Calendar to build your family up to demonstrate love and care toward everyone.
