NYM Ministries: Cougars, Sharks and Hyenas (from Today's Native Father #135)

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PRODUCT/RESOURCES INDEX Today's Native Father Archive of Articles Free booklets Marriage/Parenting Tip Calendar of workshops E-mail questions or comments	This article is from Today's Native Father, issue #135, September/October, 2004. Related articles from this issue: Bullying: It's Not Just a Stage of Childhood Conquering Meanness with Kindness The Power of Words
	Cougars, Sharks and Hyenas A Bible Study by David Hertzler
	A poem by an Alberta school boy descirbes bullies as cougars, sharks and hyenas, “eating me alive, one inch at a time.” He is not the first person to feel this way about bullies. In Psalm 59 (NIV), David, a poet who lived almost 3000 years ago, gives us his description of bullies. Read the lines below and answer the questions. Deliver me from evildoers and save me from bloodthirsty men. See how they lie in wait for me! Fierce men conspire against me for no offense or sin of mine. I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me. See what they spew from their mouths... they spew out swords from their lips, and they say, “Who can hear us?” They return at evening, snarling like dogs, and prowl about the city. They wander about for food and howl if not satisfied. But do not kill them, O Lord our shield, or my people will forget In your might make them wander about, and bring them down. For the sins of their mouths, for the words of their lips, let them be caught in their pride. For the curses and lies they utter, consume them in wrath, consume them till they are no more. You, O God, are my fortress, my loving God. Do you ever meet people like this in your workplace, school or playground? How do you feel about them? What kind of animals do you think of when you meet these people? Maybe the bullies you know are not carrying swords, looking for blood or trying to kill you. What might they be trying to do instead? What unmet needs do you think they might have in their lives? How do you feel about taking personal revenge on bullies? How did David feel, in the poem you just read? David says that God is his “fortress.” What place of safety do you have when you are threatened by bullies? How has God helped you when you faced “irregular people?”
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