The bully (standard:Inspirational stories, 370 words)
Author: jopoguerrero	Added: Dec 31 2008	Views/Reads: 3037/0	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Hardships

The word “bully” was synonymous to my name during my seminary days. 

Though most of my fellow seminarians were taller than me, my childhood
of street fights and group clashes clipped their advantage. Hence, 
whenever a seminarian was hurt then, physically or emotionally, 
accusing fingers were automatically pointed to me – and they were often 
right. 

One day, my usual “victims” who were fed up of my antics chased me with
sticks and stones in the hallway to the seminary chapel. I ran my best 
sprint but I was cornered near the chapel's side door. They were about 
to hit me simultaneously when I violently pushed myself to the chapel. 

I waited for them to follow for their “kill” – but they staggered near
the door making the sign of the cross. It was then that I realized that 
I was sagged trembling just below the Tabernacle. 

As I crept nearer the dwelling of the Body of Christ, my ambushers
cooled down and went away. I looked up at the Tabernacle then mumbled 
some words of gratitude. 

Months after the incident, I left the seminary due to my increasing
distaste of the seminary system. I continued my philosophy studies at 
the University of the Philippines in Diliman. I got married. And I 
lived life. 

My bully line in the seminary was twenty years ago. But I am still a
bully in life.  Sometimes for survival, I am forced to spray life with 
annoyance and irritation. But life is an impatient and unforgiving 
victim – it retaliates even before your work is done. 

So far, life has already chased me not with sticks and stones, but with
ruthlessly selfish men: a sanctimonious school president who berates my 
being, a socially impotent lawyer who feasts on my failures, and 
faithless friends who impede my development. 

But I have learned a very important lesson in my bully days in the
seminary. 

Whenever circumstances in life agree to ambush me, I always run my best
sprint to a sure direction – the Tabernacle. There I kneel and pray for 
my ambushers to cool down and go away. 

And He who dwells in that golden strongbox has never ever failed me.
Actually, He never fails anyone, bully or not. 


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