"Last Time"

Last nerve, last chance, and one last try,

Just once more, then say good-bye,

One last time to even cry,

‘Cause you’ve done all you can.

You spend and pray and let ‘em know,

You do it ‘cause you love ‘em so,

But now it’s time to let ‘em go,

No matter where they land.

The hardest thing we have to do,

Is put ‘em in God’s hands it’s true,

Even though our hearts are blue,

One more is one too much.

And we will just enable sin,

If we give our help again,

Tough love is the only win,

But God’s surest way to touch.

We pray for powerful break-through,

We pray God shows us what to do,

We pray and speak with love what’s true,

And won’t look back again.

The testimony God will bring,

From the worst of anything,

And it’s by faith that song we’ll sing,

And give Him glory then.

“But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ.” (Ephesians 4:15, NAS)

Sometimes speaking the truth in love means recognizing God-given boundaries. We can easily go from helping to enabling if we aren’t sensitive to this. To repeatedly bail someone out of a problem when they show no motivation to change is not helping them. Jesus gave compassion to the woman caught in the act of adultery but said go and sin no more. That’s what real love does, even if it has to be tough. To do otherwise can delay a person’s repentance.

Lord, help us help but not enable wrong behavior, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Clark Kelley Price, used by permission. Thanks, Clark, and God bless you.