Coping With Intimidation

As a minister, I have at times come under severe intimidation. At times in the past, I have been spooked by it -- and I have seen others who were spooked by it. Intimidation may be terrifying -- it is like a spell. I feel that I have overcome intimidation, for the most part. Here is how it may be done.

• Trust in God is a given. He will come through for you. Read the Psalms, and pray.
• Tackle the intimidation, do so openly, and report it. Even the anonymous incidents.
• You will never know whether people will "get" you for all the reasons you hear. By all means consult, but be sure to make your own decision as to how to deal with a matter. That is enough.
• Accept that the worst will happen -- in fact, adopt an attitude and approach which invites that. When Jesus dealt with Judas, he said to him: "Do it quickly." So to speak: "Make it happen, and don't keep me waiting." There are several reasons why this is a good strategy, but that would be more than one post.
• By all means, be scornful about it -- but stay on the level. Treat it with authority, balance, and calm.
• Investigate intimidation. A little investigation may reveal a lot. It helps, too, in lifting a veil from one's own thoughts.
• Know that intimidators are not in a good space. They are on the losing side, and that is why they need it.

OBSERVATION: Most recently, I received intimidation last week. Where intimidation is intense, it may be many times a day. In my experience, intimidation is mostly anonymous -- or it happens where people think it will never be known. Some examples of that are on this blog!