Recognized as the Father of the Civil Rights movement, Frederick Douglass knew a thing or two about standing up to bullies. As a teenager, he was not a free man. Like many teenagers, he had a healthy rebellious spirit about him, so he was sent to a farm in Maryland called Mt. Misery, where the infamous Edward Covey would "train" slaves and break their spirits into submission.
For about a year, Douglass endured some of the most savage, inhumane treatment imaginable. As he described it, he was at a low point, "broken in body, soul, and spirit". Then he decided he'd had enough. During one particularly harsh beating, he chose to fight back. He wrapped his hands around Covey's neck and the two of them fought for two hours with Covey eventually limping away and never laying hands on Douglass again.
Shortly thereafter, Douglass escaped to the North, eventually landing in Massachusetts, where he became a preacher, abolitionist, and civil rights leader. He stood up against bullies, faced evil head-on, and didn't quit fighting for what's right and defending others.
"Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows. 'Come now, let's settle this,' says the Lord. 'Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow." (Isaiah 1:17-18)
Bullies come in all shapes and sizes. The most obvious are the human traffickers who should simply be wiped off the face of the planet. More subtly, however, are the people in our lives and business who wear others down into submission by their boisterous demands, constant dripping, self-righteous manipulation, or never ceasing pursuit of their personal agenda. People who lack humility and don't want to listen to other people's perspectives, thoughts, opinions, or needs of the team for fear of jeopardizing their own ego or individual desires. These people must be stood up to.
The world is full of the oppressed, orphans, and people who need help.
In the verse above, out of the book of Isaiah, God is calling his people to stop the garbage behavior they were engaged in and start actually standing up for others, seeking justice, and doing what's good. Over 700 years later, James, the brother of Jesus, calls that true religion. Not pious talk and sweet hymns, which are nice, but grabbing evil by the throat and fighting it back until it limps away.
Where are there bullies in your life that could use a little Frederick Douglass? I'm not suggesting you walk around the neighborhood or office and punch someone in the face, but I am suggesting you step into the situation with courage and say no more. Most bullies are also cowards who will back down when stood up against. And check yourself, that bully may be you, and you just don't see it. If that's the case, do as God suggests. Stop, learn to listen. Focus on the team or the family and how you can help others. God says very clearly that in doing so, He will take those sins of scarlet and turn them white as snow.
