Love and Bullies

Jesus makes the call to love quite clear in the Greatest Commandment. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind”, and Jesus goes on to tell the Pharisees to “ love your neighbor as yourself”. Seems simple enough, yet we continue to see examples of how it is not quite so simple for so many—even our children.

Bullying goes against the teachings of Jesus Christ, the General Rules of the Methodist Church, and the Golden Rule that is recognized in religions the world over. Today, it is likely that all children experience bullying in one or more ways—as victim, as silent bystander, as victimizer, or as a disciple.

Building healthy relationships is vital to making disciples. Targets of bullying are not the only ones who need support. Children who bully and children who standby quietly need love and relationship, too. Let us be proactive in showing our children what it means to love one another, and to live as “people worthy of the call” we received from God.

Resources

• An adult’s reflection on his childhood experience with bullying: http://www.danoah.com/2010/10/memoirs-of-bullied-kid.html
  
• Moozie is devoted to helping pre-k and kindergarten children discover the universal benefits of kind behavior and kind acts http://www.moozie.com/about/
  
• Develop a “Safe Space” Covenant based on the General Rules of the Methodist Church and make it part of your Safe Sanctuaries Guidelines
  
• Help children build healthy relationships through covenant discipleship groups [email protected]
  

peace,
melanie