Facing Life Choices
I lived close enough to the Elementary school I attended, I could walk every day and I did. Each morning I would get up, get dressed, eat breakfast and then head out the door. The school was less than half a mile from my house. I would walk down the street to the corner, make my turn to the right and head on to the school that I could see in the distance.
Everything was fine until one morning another boy stood in my path. He looked meanly at me and said, “You can’t come this way”. Of course I asked why. His response was because I said so. I tried going around him. He grabbed me by the shirt and pushed me back. He grabbed me again and then punched me in the face with his fist. I couldn’t get away fast enough from him and ran the rest of the way to school. It was the first time I had ever been bullied and I was scarred.
I never told my parents about it. I chose a different way to go to school. That worked for awhile then another boy decided to be a bully. I was beat up again. This time I ran home crying. As I went into the house my father was home. He asked me what was wrong. I told him a boy beat me up so I ran home. My father asked, “What did you do? I said, “Nothing”. Did you fight back, my dad asked. “No! I was too scarred and ran home". My father said, “The next time you need to stand up to them and fight back. If you come home again crying and you didn’t defend yourself, I am going to whip you myself”.
I never went to my father again. I did learn to defend myself. I learned to hit back, the bullying stopped. I developed a mean streak, nobody messed with me after that. God, faith and love were not in the picture yet. I didn’t know how to put them together in my life.
Years later when my daughter comes to me she will always tell me, “make good choices today, Dad”. I assure her I do my best.
God wants us to make good choices every day. It is His desire that we live in peace, harmony and love. As I discovered there are times that those choices are not ours to make. Nevertheless when I face life choices, I now do so with the knowledge that the choices I do make, I have a Defender assuring me that my life is good.
Just a Thought Not a Sermon
Everything was fine until one morning another boy stood in my path. He looked meanly at me and said, “You can’t come this way”. Of course I asked why. His response was because I said so. I tried going around him. He grabbed me by the shirt and pushed me back. He grabbed me again and then punched me in the face with his fist. I couldn’t get away fast enough from him and ran the rest of the way to school. It was the first time I had ever been bullied and I was scarred.
I never told my parents about it. I chose a different way to go to school. That worked for awhile then another boy decided to be a bully. I was beat up again. This time I ran home crying. As I went into the house my father was home. He asked me what was wrong. I told him a boy beat me up so I ran home. My father asked, “What did you do? I said, “Nothing”. Did you fight back, my dad asked. “No! I was too scarred and ran home". My father said, “The next time you need to stand up to them and fight back. If you come home again crying and you didn’t defend yourself, I am going to whip you myself”.
I never went to my father again. I did learn to defend myself. I learned to hit back, the bullying stopped. I developed a mean streak, nobody messed with me after that. God, faith and love were not in the picture yet. I didn’t know how to put them together in my life.
Years later when my daughter comes to me she will always tell me, “make good choices today, Dad”. I assure her I do my best.
God wants us to make good choices every day. It is His desire that we live in peace, harmony and love. As I discovered there are times that those choices are not ours to make. Nevertheless when I face life choices, I now do so with the knowledge that the choices I do make, I have a Defender assuring me that my life is good.
Just a Thought Not a Sermon
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