Bullies Never Win

Bullies never win. As much as I don’t want to admit it, this is a well-meaning lie that parents often tell their children and teachers hope to instil in school. Take heart; don’t worry; the bully can’t win. I’m grateful I don’t have to explain this to Rory yet, but it just isn’t true.

Sometimes, bullies do win.

And as a follower of Jesus, if “winning” was the aim of our mission, I would lose heart, and wonder if I could see the way. If power and dominance and might were goals we were called to strive for – I’d be at a loss for hope or even words to pray.

Jesus sought God’s glory in the face of a world that offered vitriol and hate. He embodied love and service and sacrifice, and was told to get back in his place. He challenged the corrosive powers of this world, strong men who knew only control by force, and he was beaten, he was tried and he was put to death.

Bullies never win? It is a lie we must face.

But our stories don’t end on Good Friday; they don’t end in slavery in Egypt or in exile in Babylon. In Christ, God showed us what God’s glory really looks like, how a difficult and sacrificial love is far more powerful than hate. It’s not about winning, or gaining power, or fighting back just as hard – but instead it is teaching our children to stand with victims, to speak truth to power, to relentlessly return love in the face of hate.

Sometimes bullies do win. But never to God’s glory.

Love will always trump hate.