Article June 18, 2001 Issue

Are you being bullied?

Here's what you can do.

By Julia Schechtman Pabst

You are not alone and powerless. There are ideas available to you that don't just make you feel a little better about the situation; they can actually solve it. I know. Bullied, picked on—however you describe it—that was me. Kids made fun of me. One of them got her older brother to harass me. Several different teachers hated me to the point that other people commented on it.

Probing for reasons behind all this, I felt that my main character flaw was probably the cause—but this flaw was different each time I asked someone about it. I was sure I was to blame, and that finding the cause would solve the problem.

After several years, I found that a crucial step was to stop always asking "Why?" inside, and to turn to God. I had to trust Him. And I was able to do that as I came to understand Him better. The Bible says, "God is love" (I John 4:16). He's not only loving but is Love itself. God is ever-present good. He never wants us to suffer; He wants to help us. Wherever we are, God is. It may look like God is gone because we can't see Him, but we can feel God's presence with a different kind of perception—our spiritual sense. And when we accept His power, even a little bit, we see its effect in our life.

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