Later I learned about some things that really frustrate me. I have a girl who isn’t planning on coming any more. She lives near another church whose YP I am friends with. They have a great student ministry and I’m encouraging her to attend there. She is a very smart and pretty young woman. She is always well dressed but not even remotely skanky. She seems like someone who would be fairly popular, but she is having real trouble making friends. Basically, some of her “friends” kinda hung her out to dry at one point and one person has been really pushing her buttons lately. This person attends the youth group and she feels like she can’t be comfortable here.

Towards the end of the night one of the male students was visibly upset. He seems to have pretty significant mood swings and never opens up to me about what is going on. I got one of the other students to talk to me for him (he was standing there while they told me). The short version is one of the groups has been picking at him lately and someone from that group put a sign on his back mocking him.

I’m really torn because I know the kids that are causing the problem aren’t actually bad kids. They are on the fringe and I really feel for them. For whatever reason they are acting out their own frustrations on people they should be partnering with for their mutual benefit.

Were you bullied in school? Did you bully other people? I tended to be a shield myself. I’d see someone getting picked on and step into the middle of it with cutting words against the bully that would result in myself being targeted.

I’m really torn now, though, because I don’t want to cut down the ones bullying. I want to reach out to them and help them build others up instead of tearing them down. How do I do that?

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