Growing up where I came from was not such an easy task. Some people made it look as though there’s really nothing to it. You just make-up your mind and do what you gotta do. I remember attending a new high school many years ago and being bullied was the norm and not the exception. Your chances of not being bullied were less than being terrorized by some kid that stood six feet tall and thought that the entire school belonged to him.
Being bullied was a given especially if you were a squirt compared to the other kids your age and yes, I was just that—a squirt with a lot of heart. Now, the fact that I wore glasses didn’t really help my situation either. There were days I would run home crying, while trying to figure out what was wrong with me and what had I ever done to make these people so mean and ugly towards me. The attention I was receiving—I could have done without.
In my heart, I really began to feel like something was deeply wrong with me. My self-esteem was depleting with each encounter, until one day in gym class, I believe, a girl came up to me and asked me—”Why do you put up with that? You need to stand up for yourself”. She continued, “If you do—those people will leave you alone. Bullies only bully—because you let them”. Then she just walked away never giving me a chance to tell my sob story. To this day, whoever she was—was a God send.
When she left something swelled-up inside of me and I decided that I was not going to take it anymore. The next time I was confronted—I was ready, and by the time I finished with my words—that guy left crying and upset. But guess what? He never bothered me again. Pretty soon the word spread all around school and all my bullies were no longer interested in picking on me. Who knew that all it took was for me to stand up to this bully.
The enemy of our soul is our spiritual bully, and the Bible says he comes around to kill, steal, and destroy the very life that God wants to bless. But it will take us to get fed-up with his threats and “Shake Ourselves Loose” from his torment.
See, everyone has something, even now, that they must confront. Whether it be the pain and hurt from past betrayals and rejections, or the feelings of depression and sorrow about the way things turned out for you. But guess what—your life isn’t over yet and God can heal the scares that were left behind. You must be willing to “Shake Yourself Lose” by not letting your spiritual bully use your emotions to take over your life. Take personal inventory of your life today and identify the thing(s) that have a grip on you and face it head-on. No bully is stronger than God—and it’s time to give The Lord a shot at bringing your freedom.
I urge you to make a decision today, to “Shake Yourself Loose” and go ahead and “Face your Bully”. Work with God to rid you from its torment. It’s high time to “Shake Yourself Loose”—remembering with God on your side, you will never have to face it alone. (Read John 10:9—10 KJV)
