“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off." ~ Matthew 5:30
Suzie was just like any other
nervous five-year-old on her first day of school. Who could have guessed the
amount of strength and courage she would need to face these kids every day for
the next six years? Just because Suzie had red hair didn’t make her less of a
person.
Her friend Jessica was ashamed to admit it, but she went
along with the bullying. Even though she didn’t participate in the verbal
slander, the incessant seat kicking, or the stuff in her hair, she didn’t do
anything to stop it.
Jessica knew it was wrong, but thought Suzie was coping; it didn’t
seem to bother her. But appearances mean nothing. Jessica was as guilty as the
rest of them.
The teachers wouldn’t do anything, telling them would only
make the situation worse, she rationalized. Only Jessica had the power to stop
it. She should’ve been the one to protect her.
Kids acting up on the school bus isn’t anything new and it’s
certainly not unique. As younger generations are exposed to more explicit
language and intolerant behavior, bullying has become a growing issue for many.
Jessica didn’t know exactly when she finally admitted it to
herself. Maybe when Suzie confessed to her that she’d gone home crying almost every
afternoon. Or maybe it crystalized when, just like Calvin, she confessed that
she wanted to do anything but own up to her inaction.
“I must apologize!” she finally confessed, “and make
amends.”
Three days after she’d said those words, she wished so badly
she could have seen the future. To stop Suzie from getting in that car with him
after he’d been drinking too much.
Tears sprang to her eyes as she read Suzie’s name for the
first time in stone. She touched the cold granite, running her hand across the
engraved name and then the dates, the last one being three days after the last
time she’d ever hear her friend’s voice again. Three days after she’d promised
the words she was never able to apologize for.
Tears of guilt and sadness flowed freely down her cheeks and
onto the ground as she knelt down next to her. “Hey Suzie,” she started, words
catching in her throat. She took a deep
breath before she continued. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you.”
If you hurt someone, don’t be like Calvin. Don’t hesitate
and rationalize your awful behavior. Take a cue from both Hobbes and Jesus: say
you’re sorry and take the necessary action so as not to make that same mistake
again!
