"It says right here
that you shouldn't bully people!"
- Jake White
No Matter the Odds
The playground is crowded with children of all ages. There are parents there; standing as
stick-like sentinels on the edge of the play area with their faces pointed
directly to the heart of the scene. A
tall slippery slide towers in the center like a sundial draped with giggling
girls and boys. They run around chasing
each other. They climb up and swoosh
toward the earth with certain glee.
My friend Jacob is there having fun. He is a small boy of about eight years. His fudge colored hair floats across his face
as he runs and climbs. He is of a
serious nature but is still a fun-loving child. I am amazed at how his thin build and agility allow him to seemingly
float to the top of the slide and back to the ground without effort. Then everything stopped!
Some older kids gathered at the bottom of the slide. They taunted and teased. The play ended. The stick-like sentinels became statues. It was as if all movement came to a
standstill.
Then, Jake broke away from the scene and began to walk to
the family car. Everyone gazed at him as
he opened its door and grabbed something off the seat. There was some paper clutched in his hand as
he sauntered back to the slide. He had a
determined face and confidence in his walk. He had to be confident. He was
headed to confront the bullies that had ended the fun.
He walked right up to the intimidators and showed them the
paper in his hand. It was a magazine he
gets it from his church. He pointed to a
specific article and said, "It says you shouldn't be a bully right here."
The adults seemed to turn into Large Mouth Bass as they
watched and listened, and to everyone's surprise the play began in a moment or
two.
Jake put his magazine in the hands of his father. He turned with a smile and ran back to climb
the ladder once again. I watched him
climb and swoosh down while thinking, "This isn't the only ladder of success
I'll watch Jake climb."
He was successful in at least one other way. I was encouraged to take a stand for good and
the defense of others, no matter what the odds.