Earlier this week, my family and especially my daughter were faced with some middle school “growing pains”. My daughter is about 3/4’s of the way through her 1st year in Middle School. It has been a fairly smooth transition for her and for us (for me and my wife). One thing that my daughter is beginning to experience 1st hand is the fact that she went from being a “Senior” (by Elementary school standards…in 5th grade) where she was Top Brass, was in a situation where all the kids looked up to her and her classmates, she was one of the trendsetters and on the list of “people to know”…to becoming a “Freshman” where she is fresh meat, the low man on the totem pole, looked down upon by the “upperclassmen” etc. The influence that she had over and on people is not as strong as it once was because she doesn’t carry the same “social clout” in the new school.
This became very evident this past Monday, when my daughter became involved in a situation that subjected her to having to deal with the reality of intimidation. On her way home from school, one of the 8th graders that usually accompanies her began to use foul language. (The timing could not have been more perfect as she and I had a long conversation about the use of foul language among other things this weekend. After our conversation, she purposed in her heart that foul language was not going be something that she practiced in her life...NOW BACK TO THE STORY). She politely asked the young man to stop cursing, but he insisted, just to agitate her. Remembering the influence that she “used” to have as one of the “big women” on campus back in Elementary School, She stopped dead in her tracks and moved closer to the young man and said in a stern voice, ”Do it one more time!!!” Not being moved at all by her emotions, the young man cursed again, displayed a small weapon and made it clear that he was ready to fight and comfortable doing so. She immediately backed down and continued to walk home.
After being home for about 1 hour, she and I began to talk about her day. She began to go through the details of the day, carefully trying to mask the fact that she was still bothered by the incident with the 8th grade boy. I picked up on this and I asked her to tell me what was really on her mind. Fearfully, she told me the story. She expressed fright about what the boy may do to retaliate, or what others might think about her telling her father. She didn’t want to be a “snitch”, but she was also paralyzed by fear. I assured her that I was her father and I would never let anything happen to her. I love her and I will do everything in my power to assure her safety even if it meant giving up my life; moreover, I assured her that her Heavenly Father would also keep watch over her.
She was listening, but she didn’t HEAR me. She had allowed herself to be so intimidated that in her mind this 8th grade boy was more powerful than her earthly father and her Heavenly Father combined. I knew that I had to do something drastic. My plan was to meet the boy and hopefully his parents at the bus stop the next day. #1 to make sure that he knew that I was no joke and #2 to make sure that his parents knew about the situation and that we could work together to resolve the matter. The night before, as we prayed together and read scripture, my wife and I assured our baby girl that God would work the situation out and that everything was going to be alright.
I woke up ready for action. My wife and I both threw on our sweats packed up our daughter and arrived at the bus stop about 25 minutes early to make sure that we didn’t miss the parents. Time passed as we inspected each car and saw no sign of the young man. About 5 minutes prior to the scheduled arrival of the bus, pointing to a young man turning the corner, my daughter proclaimed, “There he is”. I immediately jumped out of the car like I was one of the members of the A-Team and with a focused since of urgency I made my way over to the young man. Everything in me wanted to knock him out, but God allowed me to see a young man that was confused, fragile and hurt. I shook his hand and began to explain to him why I was there and what my expectations were of him and of his treatment of my daughter. After receiving his parent’s contact information, my daughter was brought over to apologize for her role in the event as well. He accepted and as he trembled, he too apologized as well. We were able, through the power of God, to turn a situation totally around for good.
We were shocked to come to find out the young man has been beaten up a couple of times recently due to his refusal to join a gang. He began to carry around a small weapon in order to defend himself, but unfortunately he began to intimidate others in the same manner in which he was being intimidated.
This situation caused me to reflect on my life and how I have sometimes allowed myself to be intimidated. Like my daughter, I have sometimes allowed my challenges and situations to appear to be more vast and dominant than God. I have magnified my problems and minimized God and His ability to empower me, to deliver and to protect me.
2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord can be trusted to make you strong and protect you from harm.
What problems/challenges in your life have you allowed to become larger than God? Have you allowed your circumstances to block your view of God? Have you forgotten that your Heavenly Father is ready and willing to step to your enemies, to protect you from them and/or to give you the strength to conquer them? Make today the day that you choose to tell your enemies and your problems that they better be afraid because you are “about to get your Daddy”.
Be Blessed,
B
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