Power of Bullying & Demi Lovato
I am so sorry, friends, that Blogger has been down! I know that some of you had troubles putting your comments sharing with me how you were spreading the news of “His Revolutionary Love”. Again, I am so sorry for this malfunction.
I did receive several emails from Danielle. I believe she posted 3 times. Thanks Danielle! You are the winner of the “His Revolutionary Love” DVD!
In April, teen pop star, Demi Lovato, gave her first TV interview with 20/20 upon leaving treatment for bulimia and cutting. When asked how these destructive got their start, Demi simply stated “bullying”.
As an eight year-old, she was deemed”fat”. That was the beginning of a cycle of detrimental behavior.
There is probably not one of our children that have escaped being bullied in one way or another. The question is: how do we put an end to this demeaning behavior?
It begins by teaching our children the power of their words; the fact that their words hold the power of life and death as Proverbs 18:21 tells us.
In my new book for young women, His Revolutionary Love, I share with our daughters:
“A conversation in which another person is put down seems like no big deal. That person doesn’t know anyway right? But you know exactly what happens, Eventually those words wind their way back to the person. Gossip damages people. It doesn’t even matter if what is said is true or not. Being talked about in an unkind way tears a person down….The real problem is that every time you say yes to gossip, you allow your heart to become a little more calloused. You say no to caring for others. It makes it that much easier for you to not just say bad things about others, but to actually do harmful things to others.” His Revolutionary Love, p. 158 – 159
Friends, we need to share with our daughters the truth that they have the power to hurt or to heal. Proverbs 21:23 tells us “whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles”. You might enjoy sharing this video on friendships with your girl…the visual helps the message to stick! http://is.gd/QFf6pK
More importantly, we need to live this truth out in front of our girls. When the neighbor’s dog keeps tearing up your flowers… When the boss criticizes your work….When your best friend disappoints….When your mom expects too much….
They are watching us. They are taking it all in.
In my family, I have given my daughters permission to point out to me when I am gossiping. You can believe that this keeps me on my toes! I want to practice what I teach!
Keep investing in our children, friends! We are making a difference. Others can see. Others will ask. We will open doors to show the life altering love of Jesus because of that life altering love in us!
If you live in Western North Carolina and have a middle school girl, please join us for Girls Night Out in Cherryville. Click here for more details.
Oh, what a topic!! Bethany and I have been talking alot about this lately. We had an incident a week ago or so where things were said about it. It hurt her, and me… but it lead to us talking about her having ever done that. It was a great conversation and opened the door even more!
Thank you, sister for investing your life in the calling God chose for you! You are a true testiment to being submitted to Him.