When
I was in the seventh grade, I had a friend who was much shorter and lighter in weight
than myself. I was about average height and weight. Another classmate, tall and
stocky, habitually picked on my friend by humiliating him in front of the other
kids. One day I came to his defense, which led to an after-school boxing match between
myself and this bully.
The miracle of the day was, I survived
to tell the story. I was too much of a light weight to win physically, but I
won something else, including the way I was perceived by the other kids. The
next day the bully came up to shake my hand and to tell me I was a good
fighter. That encounter basically ended what was motivating him to bully other
classmates.
What I admired about this bully was
his inner strength to change how he perceived himself and others. I do not know
what changed emotionally or spiritually for him, but God is at work to change
those who trust and believe in his power to transform the vilest sinner. The Lord Jesus Christ never overlooks an
opportunity to transform the most unlikely candidate.
