Yeah, I admit, I’m feeling rather Joan-of-Arcish.
Just like in elementary school when that mean girl pinched me but I was always the one punished because it caused me to break a rule. Once I was able to convince the adult in charge of the MG’s action, but she turned on the tears, doubled down on her story, and I had to write twice as many sentences.
Most emotionally healthy women learn to express themselves more appropriately as they grow up, and my choice has been to consciously avoid situations with people like that.
I was glad to see our schools, for the past few decades, blast “bullying.” However, I’m afraid, it’s only made the innately MGs develop more creative ways of torturing other girls. If you have a daughter or know a young woman in middle school, you’ve heard the horror stories.
We could say it’s something they’ll outgrow, if this were limited to young girls, but, sadly, I’ve seen octogenarians using the same immature behavior.
It’s to the point that these women use not only schools, politics, clubs, and workplaces, but churches. Just like domineering men were often attracted to houses of worship misusing Bible verses to justify abuse or slaveowners who published their own Bible to defend slavery.
I’ve heard women of all ages say, “you offended me,” as if those three words convicted me (guilty until proven innocent) to eternal punishment. I haven’t read “being offended” as a Ten Commandment or, as in the case of a woman from Roman Catholic background, one of the Seven Deadly Sins. It seems that being offended has become the latest unbiblical spiritual gift.
But the worst is when the behavior is against someone you love and prayer doesn’t seem to help quickly enough. Saddest of all, the “offendee” will mention Matthew 18 as her trump card, refusing to follow the guidelines in verses 15 and 16 about going to the individual personally.
I have no doubt the Lord has a lesson for me to learn from this pattern, since my personality doesn’t allow me to hibernate, but that would feel good right now.