READ: GENESIS 1:27; PSALM 139:13; MATTHEW 5:14-16

Bullying. It’s painful to experience. But here’s the thing: I don’t know bullying’s pain because I’ve been bullied. I know its pain because I have been the bully.

I’ve made fun of people. I’ve gossiped about people I didn’t like. I’ve secretly judged the so-called “losers.” But I’d been trying to live my life for Jesus and be different. I wasn’t one of those people, right? But I was one of those people. I was a bully.

It took a long week—full of conviction, tears, and prayer—for Jesus to help me see that reality, changing my life and outlook. I realized I wasn’t just hurting the people I was mocking, teasing, gossiping about, and hating. I was hurting Jesus, the one who loved me so much He died so I could be forgiven for my sins, including bullying (Matthew 25:31-46; Ephesians 4:29-32). I was not acting like I belonged to Him. I was taking God’s creations, made after His own image, and raising myself above them. Like I was better than them.

But I’m not. I need Jesus’s grace—just like everyone else. Bullying is a sin because it forgets that every person was created in God’s image. Basically, making fun of other people is hating on God and His good creation.

As I sought to turn away from the sin of bullying, Jesus was with me— working in me to make me more like Himself. I apologized to the people I hurt. God was humbling me so I didn’t see myself as better than others, but equal to them in His eyes. I started to see people as wonderful, interesting creations of God Himself, even becoming friends with people who were still being hated on by others.

No matter how badly we’ve messed up, Jesus can forgive, restore, and transform us (Luke 23:34). We can even become a light to others who are struggling. He redeems us from our brokenness and gives us the opportunity to share His love and truth with others. • Natalie Gilkinson

• Why is it important that (1) God created all people in His image, and (2) we are all sinners in need of Jesus? How might these truths affect the way we see those around us? (Genesis 1:27; Romans 3:11-12, 23-24; 6:23)

• If you are bullying others, are being bullied, or are seeing bullying happen, who is a trusted adult you can talk to about it?

Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all. Proverbs 22:2 (NIV)