markedministrymag Tween

Bullying Stops Here

(Photo by Selma Komisky)

Bullying Stops Here

By Lilly with Sarah Komisky and Selma Komisky

In first and third grade I was bullied – A  LOT. It made me feel different from other kids. I also had thoughts that made me feel sad.

DARK THOUGHTS are BAD THOUGHTS. They are thoughts that are not true thoughts about ourselves.

GOOD THOUGHTS are what JESUS thinks about YOU!

SOME OF MY DARK THOUGHTS WERE:

Thoughts About My Teeth   

  • I could not talk like everyone else because of my teeth and I thought they looked funny.

Thoughts About My Chin

  • I did not like my chin because I was teased and made fun of. You see, I have a cleft chin. That is a funny word that means I have a dimple in the middle of my chin. Someone was mean to me and called “me butt chin.” That hurt my feelings.

WHAT I LEARNED:

You can turn BAD THOUGHTS into GOOD THOUGHTS! Jesus wants you to think about the GOOD THOUGHTS!

HOW GOD HELPED ME SEE MYSELF DIFFERENTLY: 

Thoughts About My Teeth 

  • I found out that some people think crooked teeth are beautiful

Thoughts About My Chin

  • I found out that it was OK to be different and some people want a chin like mine!

If I could tell anyone reading this who was bullied because they look different, I would say, it is OK to be different. I learned to be different! Ephesians 2:10 says, “ For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Bullying can stop when we allow God and others to help us think differently about ourselves because God says we are a masterpiece. He can make us feel happy instead of sad when we see ourselves like He does.

Hi, it’s Sarah here! I was able to help Lilly work though some of her dark thoughts in a tough time. Now, I want to encourage you to find a trusted and safe person like your big sister, mom, aunt, or youth leader to help you and talk about your dark thoughts. Let’s do it together! Comment below and tell us how it help you this month!

Takeaways:

  1. Write out Ephesians 2:10 in a journal and memorize it for the week.
  2. Share with someone you trust about a dark thought you may have had and talk about how you can turn it over to God to make it a good thought.
  3. Write your good thought down in your journal and ask God (and someone you trust), to help you own that good thought about yourself.
  4. Meet with your trusted person to talk about how you feel and how you are doing so they can help you turn band thoughts to good thoughts.