Compassion for a Bully

I love the following story because it illustrates both our natural defensiveness when we are attacked and the potential for transformation. As the illustration demonstrates, this is only possible when we take into consideration the story of brokenness of the one who has attacked us.

Chuck DeGroat, pastor, counselor, and professor of pastoral care at Western Seminary shares the following story from early on in his training as a counselor:

I had hit a rut in my pastoral life, fatigued by the complicated people I was trying to help. Most disheartening to me…