STAND UP and FIGHT!!

It is AMAZING to me how God can use certain metaphors (i.e. the HUMAN relationship between parent & child ) to teach us something about OUR relationship with HIM. This is a BRILLIANT way for God to teach those of us who are parents something!! But, that should not shock me, because God is SO FAR beyond BRILLIANT, that my tiny finite mind will NEVER have the mental capabilities to even begin to understand how HIS perfect & infinite mind works. Of course, I have an example for you, so here goes...

God has shown me that I need to "connect the dots" on things He has already shown me and apply them to my life. He showed me this literally MINUTES AGO!! Or, better yet, He has probably been trying to show me this for a long time (YEARS) and tonight...literally MINUTES AGO...what He has been trying to tell me in so many different ways, I finally saw the big, pink, blinking sign, reading, "HELLO!!! PAIGE!!!! It's ME, GOD!!! I HAVE SOMETHING TO TEACH YOU, SO READ THIS GIANT BLINKING SIGN....APPLY WHAT I HAVE TAUGHT YOU!!!"
But, instead of "looking UP," I have been looking at MYSELF in the mirror saying, "That's the way to tell her, Paige! Your advice makes TOTAL SENSE!!" Then, (in my mind) I saw myself accepting the award for "MOTHER WHO GIVES THE BEST ADVICE" ....

"Thank-you, Thank-you! I accept this award with great pride! Please, please, no more applause....you all are embarrassing me!! Well, not really....I don't get embarrassed that easily, so feel free to just keep clapping as I bask in the glory of receiving this awesome award!! After all, I did give my daughter some great advice, didn't I? I will be glad to stand here as long as you all want to applaud me & I will be available to sign autographs later!!"
The applause gets louder... people are now standing up, clapping & whistling, as I stand on the stage, smiling and waving at my adoring fans!!

Then, SUDDENLY....
THE LIGHTS GO OUT!! THE ROARING CHEERS OF THE PEOPLE FALL SILENT!! MY AWARD EVAPORATES!! ..... and then.... the lights come back on & it's just me & God...
I fall to my knees and start crying!! God has something to tell me.....well, teach me, if you will. I cry because I don't feel worthy of HIS MAGNIFICENT PRESENCE & HIM taking time to teach little ole me something.... (GOD ALWAYS HAS TIME FOR HIS CHILDREN......YOU, ME, EVERY HUMAN HE CREATED!!) God is AWESOME!! He is the BEST parent you or I will EVER HAVE .... no HUMAN parent could ever compare .... And here HE IS!! Coming to help ME understand some of HIS infinite wisdom, which I should have understood a long time ago!!

As I wrote in a previous post, I do not "take any crap" off of ANY human beings...Now, I have NEVER been in a fist fight and I always had a ton of friends growing up. Like most kids end up facing one day, I had "bullies" at school "test me" when I was a kid. But, they only had to test me ONCE to realize that I was NOT an easy target who would take their crap. So, dealing with bullies was never an issue with me growing up, because the few times I was "tested" I STOOD UP TO THEM. I was not a mean person, by far....actually, I got along with pretty much everybody and I honestly cannot think of one person in my past who I just could not get along with. I was the class poet and I was even voted "Most School Spirit" all 4 years of highschool. I am not saying that to brag, I just wanted to make it clear that I was "TOUGH" when I needed to be, but overall, I got along with pretty much everybody throughout my school days and I told you about me being voted the class poet, and voted "Most School Spirit" as a way of saying, I feel pretty sure that most everybody liked me, too.

Now....fast forward to today....I am now 38 years old, very happily married to my precious husband, Bo, for 13 years and we have been blessed with a precious daughter, Hannah. She is 9 years old and though she & I are alike in alot of ways, there are several ways that we are VERY DIFFERENT. One of those "differences" in us is the issue of "dealing with bullies."

At home, Hannah is extremely talkative, very funny, she has a great imagination and it just blows mine & Bo's minds how deep & mature she is at her age. Also, she can be a real smart alleck (which, Bo & I are both that way, so to some degree, she definitely comes by it honestly.) But, sometimes, like most all kids ~ testing the boundaries ~ she can have a real attitude and be "tough acting" and disrespectful to us. So, I KNOW that my kid is not a wimp!! Here's the problem....at school, she is extremely quiet, very obedient, and WILL NOT stand up to the few bullies she has already encountered. Example: At the beginning of this school year (she is in 4th grade) one of the class bullies sat behind Hannah and would KICK Hannah's desk all day & just say mean things to her. How did Hannah react to these things???? SHE DID NOTHING!!!

Fortunately, we have open communication in our family, so she tells us pretty much everything. So, when she came home telling us about this kid kicking the back of her desk all day & just saying mean things to Hannah, we said, "So, what did you say to this kid?" Hannah replied, "Well....nothing." ........... NOTHING?? NOTHING AT ALL?? I absolutely CANNOT relate to "taking this crap" off of someone and saying NOTHING to this bully. Bo & I have had MANY talks with her about this and we have even role-played with her on "how to deal with a bully." Hannah, when this girl starts kicking your desk, turn around, look her square in the eyes and say with a FIRM voice, "Quit kicking my chair!!" Once you stand up to this girl & let her know that it is NOT okay for her to kick your chair, she will stop. You have to STAND UP to bullies. Then of course, Bo & I had to each tell her about how we handled bullies when we were kids.

Bo's story: He is in the first grade at the bus stop and a boy a few years older basically beat him up!! Bo ran home, crying. When he got home, his dad told him that YOU CANNOT RUN AWAY FROM BULLIES, YOU HAVE TO STAND UP TO THEM, USUALLY JUST ONCE, AND THEY WILL LEAVE YOU ALONE. Then, he made Bo go BACK to the bus stop & stand up to this kid. What happened?? The boy hit Bo AGAIN, but this time, Bo fought back and DID NOT RUN AWAY. Now, Bo "lost" the fight, but guess what??? That kid never bothered Bo again, because he now knew that Bo would not back down. Problem solved. PERIOD.

My story: I start a new school and I was in 7th grade. I was "the new kid." So, one day, the class bully wrote a note & handed it to me and it said, "Susie told me that you called me a worm (or whatever.) Is that true?" I wrote on the note, "No, that is not true, I didn't call you anything." and handed her the note back. She wrote back, "Well, I have known Susie longer and I believe HER, so I want to fight you." I wrote back, "Well, I'm telling you, I DID NOT call you anything, but if you've made your mind up that you want to fight me, just tell me where and what time and I'LL BE THERE!!!" She instantly wrote back and said, "Well....um....if you didn't really call me anything, then we don't need to fight...it's cool..." PROBLEM SOLVED. PERIOD. She never messed with me again. Why? BECAUSE I STOOD UP TO HER!!!

Now, didn't Bo & I give good advice to END this bullying problem? YEAH, WE DID!! Did she do what we told her?? NO SHE DIDN'T!! She continues to let bullies treat her anyway and SHE WILL NOT STAND UP & FIGHT!! And I don't mean "fist fight"......I mean just get in this girl's face and say in a firm, "I mean business" kinda tone, "Stop kicking my desk!!!!" ....... She won't do it....we, HER VERY WISE PARENTS, have TOLD HER how to solve this problem.......and she JUST WON'T DO IT.....

I do not have words for the frustration I feel about some brat picking on MY LITTLE GIRL....MY SWEET PRECIOUS HANNAH.....MY HEART!!!! It feels like I am throwing her a lifeline and SHE JUST WON'T PICK IT UP!!!

Guess what, folks??? GOD HAS TOLD ME IN HIS WORD HOW TO FIGHT IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE.......HE HAS LAID IT OUT IN FRONT OF ME IN HIS HOLY BIBLE....HE IS THROWING ME A LIFELINE.....AND GUESS WHAT??? I JUST WON'T PICK IT UP!! i JUST WON'T STAND UP & FIGHT!! I just lay down and let Satan beat the crap out of me, spiritually. I believe his LIES...."Paige, you are worthless....you are a failure in life.....everybody would be better off without you.....and on & on & on..."

How frustrating it must be for MY PRECIOUS FATHER IN HEAVEN, WHO LOVES ME SO MUCH THAT HE DIED FOR MY SINS, to watch me just fall down into a fetal position and let the devil beat the crap out of me, when HE HAS TOLD ME HOW TO DEAL WITH SATAN'S ATTACKS....

WOW........I am not taking MY HEAVENLY FATHER'S WORDS OF WISDOM, just like HANNAH IS NOT TAKING OURS.... Isn't that AWESOME how God has shown me all of this??

You know what? When Satan comes around wanting to "pick on me" I need to put on THE ARMOR OF GOD, tap in to the power of the HOLY SPIRIT, WHO LIVES IN MY HEART and I need to boldly say to Satan.....BRING IT ON!! I AM READY TO STAND UP AND FIGHT!!!

Jesus, thank YOU.....for everything. I LOVE YOU, LORD!! Amen.

Forever Seeking Him ~
Paige