The Bully
Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. – Romans 12:9-21.
We’ve all heard the old saying “like a bull in a china shop.” It actually happened in Lancaster, England! The bull escaped from a livestock auction next door to an antique shop. It injured a woman on its rampage from the auction to the shop (She was not seriously injured.). In the shop the bull was eventually trapped among some large furnishings and he was shot. A police spokesman said, “After speaking with the bull’s owner it was decided the bull posed a risk to public safety and it was unwise for attempts to be made to capture the animal. A decision was made that the bull should be destroyed.” Unfortunately the bull destroyed much antique china before it was put to death.
I may be wrong but I think the origin of the word “bully” must have come from observing the characteristics of a bull. Having grown up on a farm I can tell you that it is unwise to antagonize a bull. It is also unwise to try to “bully” a bull. Usually when you harass, antagonize, or try to force a bull to do something (unless it has been pampered and hand fed since it was a calf) it only makes the behavior of the bull worse. That’s what the people in the Lancaster antique shop observed at the very end of the bull’s rampage. Obviously the bull was upset about being taken out of its pastoral environment being pushed and prodded and this bull was not used to being pushed around. The more they chased the bull the more he ran until cornered in the shop.
People who are “bullies” sometimes (but not always) act in a similar fashion. In fact I think that some bullies enjoy it when someone antagonizes them so that they have an excuse to go on a rampage. Of course some bullies don’t need an excuse they are just always looking for someone to pick on. Some bulls are like that too and that’s why unless you know the nature of the bull you don’t enter the pasture or lot where one is located because he may have just been looking for some fun.
How do you handle the ugly downright mean bullies? You can’t handle them, you can’t change them by fighting back because that’s what they live and breathe – that’s what they are hoping to find around every corner. No, you need a different approach and in fact it is a Biblical approach. Try some love, kindness, tenderness, and goodness. That bull might have come peacefully if everyone had backed off a little and someone had fed him his favorite tasty treat. It works the same way with some of the mean ole’ human bullies.
The apostle Paul has the formula for taming the meanest and most ornery bully. He sums it all up by saying, “overcome evil with good.” The next time that mean ole’ bully goes on a rampage – try it!
(How to interact with someone who is a bully.)