1 John 3:16English Standard Version (ESV)
16 By this we know love
that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives
for the brothers.
Just as Jesus Christ
shed his blood out of love for us, we must remember that His blood and His love
are sacred. What does that spell out for us that proclaim to be His followers,
and His servants?
If some of you do not
know, I am the proud father of a young twenty-four year old man named Ben who at the age
of four was diagnosed with Autism. My wife and I have been his voice as well as
advocates since he was a small child. Whether it was getting him into the right
speech therapy program or advocating for him at school as to ensure the correct
needs were met for him individually. Yes, we all need advocates, we need those
that will stick by our sides and stand up with us and for us, when we are
unable to do so for ourselves.
 |
| Ben |
As I prepared this blog
I found a great story on the No Place 4 Hate Web Page: http://www.noplace4hate.org/real-bullying-stories/
Here we see Will, a
young man that suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome. Will was being bullied, and it
took a young man named Jaden to stand up for Will as to get the bullying to
cease.
Will
Hello. My name is Will. I am 14 year old hiker,
runner, and Boy Scout and I was bullied as well. These bullies weren’t as bad
as others but they did traumatize me.
I have a disorder called Asperger’s Syndrome. A minor form of
Autism. I think differently from others and find it hard to be social. Since
first grade. I have always been known as the nerd with his nerdy friends doing
nerdy things. I could of been in the cool kid sports group but sports wasn’t
really my thing. I loved video games and YouTube. I’ve had 2 very close friends
who were twins. Karen, My best friend and Tarik, My 2nd best friend. Ever since
I moved to my new school in 3rd grade. We met each other and had a close
relationship. Our Semi popular group was made of 6 people. Me, Kaden, Tarik, Chase,
Evan, and Dylan. I loved going to school to see them and even better, having
the whole gang come over, play Minecraft, and eat pizza all night. But in 6th
grade. That all changed. I was going through the change to adulthood and found
different interests. I was done with Lego and Minecraft. But the others
weren’t. Then one day. The group just wanted to ditch me right up in my face. I
was heartbroken I didn’t know what to do. That was just the beginning. The
group of 5 started to torment me. They knew about my Asperger’s and used it to
their advantage. They always played the same games I played at recess and
always target me to get me out and find a way for me to lose. They called me
terrible names. Some curse words, some like Little Miss Boy Scout, Jerk,
Stupid, and Nerd and so on. They stole my lunch, ran away and chased me, and
spread sexual rumors about me. I was driven to the point of insanity and when I
got back from school one day I ran to my room and cried like crazy. My only
source of friends, gone. I stayed in my room drowning in tears for what seemed
like hours. I then decided to go on Minecraft to calm me down. I remember
playing On Minecraft when Chase logged on, bragged about a sleepover that I
wasn’t invited to, and said it was my fault. I then talked with my Mom she
encouraged me to find a new group, with a few kids. My new best friend named
Jaden. He stood up to me when I was bullied and defended me. He invited me to
play games and when Kaden and his group came to torment me, Jaden told them to
screw off. I finally felt good knowing I had a real friend. I am now in 8th
grade with new friends who like me for who I am. Kaden and Tarik moved to a
different school. Chase tried to bully me in the beginning of 7th grade. But I
got him out of the way. He now hangs out with a group of troublemakers. I
barely see Evan and Dylan admitted his wrongdoing and we became band partners.
Everything worked out great in the end and that is my story.
Beloved, as followers of the Living Christ, who sacrificed
himself for us, we must be his living example by producing and living love for
others. We must stand up for the weak, we must stand up for the poor, we must
stand up for the addicted, and we must stand up for those living is darkness.
As Christians, standing in love for others is just not something
that we do, it is a large make up of our spiritual DNA. Theologian Matthew
Henry states that Apostles are to shining examples of that love. As modern
Apostles, we too must be shining examples in loving and carrying for others.
Is there a Will in your life, is there a Ben in your life? Is
there someone being bullied in your life? The time is now to go to their aid in
and through the love of Jesus Christ. Let
us pledge this very moment to lay down the very best of ourselves to those that
are oppressed and bullied for their differences.
Let us understand that all
have been made in the image of God, and that God does not make junk, every
person is a high quality production that has been given traits and tendencies
as to bless the world and make it a better place.
This is the day that the Lord has made.
Pastor Tim.
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