Anti-Bullying Post 5: Loving Everybody...Including Bullies

Image by Armando Maynez via Flickr

Jamie Heredia is a missionary in Costa Rica and publishes a wonderful blog called:  "Jamie The Very Worst Missionary: Innappropriate remarks, embarrassing antics, and generally lame observations about living life as a Christian Missionary in Costa Rica."  And, it's everything the subheading makes it out to be.  It's awesome.

Just a couple of days ago Jamie published her own bullying account, talking about the time her 16 year old hipster son was called a "faggot" at Disney's Epcot Center.  She runs through all of the emotions that go through a parent's head when something like this happens to a kid of yours.  You want to go beat their head in...not your kids' but the bully's.  She talks of how we need to be a church for the underdog and the unlovable people of the world and that includes the bullies...which might be the hardest thing. 

Here's what this "very worst missionary" has to say.  It's awesome.

The point is that if we are going to call ourselves “the Church”, if we are going to offer Love, and be Peacemakers and bearers of Hope, then we better be damn ready to offer community to the “faggots” and the “fattys”. We better stand behind the “whores” and the “skanks” and the “pizzafaces”, and get on our feet for “losers”, “freaks”, “noobs”, “wankers”, and every last one of the “dorks that annoy the crap out of everybody”. We have to give up our desire to choose who we will love, instead loving everyone and welcoming all without regard for their style, size, sensibility, sexuality, color, creed, and history….

…aaaand that means loving bullies, too.

Whoa. That IS NOT where I thought this was going.

But it’s true. Right? Being the Church means being open to the bullies, and the convicts, and the addicts, and abusers, and all the other people who scare us and intimidate us, maybe even people who've hurt us – BUT – loving them within the security of the community, so that as we are protecting the weak, we are also showing those who would prey on them a better way.

How bout that last sentence there? 

Loving [the bullies, and the convicts, and the addicts, and abusers] within the security of the community, so that as we are protecting the weak, we are also showing those who would prey on them a better way.

Whoa!

That's tough stuff.

That's good stuff.

That's grace.