Bullying and Teasing

I just finished reading Frank Peretti's book No More Bullies. If you have ever been teased or bullied in your past, this book might really rock your world. In fact, I asssume that most everyone has either been the bully or been the victim of a bully in their past. Life can be brutal to our hearts at times.

After laying out some of the brutality that he endured in his youth, as well as the messages of wounds (what he came to believe about himself as a result of the trauma), he comes to the following conclusion:

"Any gift you receive from God is not for yourself, but for others. The strong are strong to protect the weak; those with abundance are blessed so that they can heop the needy; the smart and wise are gifted to help the befuddled and foolish.

"the measure of a man is not his strength; it is the depth of his nobility.The measure of any person is how he or she treats those who are less gifted, less intelligent, and less able." (pp. 150-151).

This book brings to light just one of many dimensions of the assault on the human heart that many have endured. I see this every week in my practice. Whether the issue is bullying, abuse, neglect, physical/mental/emotional disabilities, divorce, death, illness, addictions or other forms of chaos and dysfunction in one's childhood, trauma and wounding seem to be universal--and the effects of our wounds will never go away, until we deal with them. They will mess with us for the rest of our lives unless we get healing and resolution for those young, broken places in our hearts. This is what most of my work centers on as a therapist, and as a friend, husband and father.