I was always broken down by them. They ridiculed me, made fun of me and made me feel unwelcome. I was always the last person to be chosen, I was always being left out. I kept wondering "what is wrong with me?".
I finally decided that I was not going to be stepped on any more. I stopped looking at what I needed to change and saw that they were the ones with the problem. I realised that they were not actually confident in themselves and the only way for them to feel better was to pick on me. I am the best "me" I can be because God made me in His image!
This changed the way I "heard" their hurtful words. Their words did not cause self doubt any longer but evoked sympathy from my side. I experienced their words rolling off me like water from a ducks back!