"Some People"

There are some people out there,

You may not know at first,

But finally you find out,

That they’re probably the worst.

‘Cause you thought you could trust them,

And that they were your friend,

But all they did was use you,

You discovered in the end.

And then you thought how stupid,

You wondered you could be,

Gosh, being taken in like that,

And couldn’t really see,

That they’re manipulators,

Who claimed to have your back,

With words they promised always,

But integrity they lacked.

Maybe it was a cowboy,

That you thought here’s the man,

Who’ll do all that he promised,

And make a loyal stand.

Or might be she’s a cowgirl,

You gave your whole heart to,

You thought she was a keeper,

But she sure did fool you.

Or maybe what they sold you,

They swore they’d do you right,

But when you got it home that day,

You saw a different sight.

‘Cause that horse they said was gentle,

Would pitch and drop his head,

And buck like he was trained to,

And nothing like they said.

There’s two things to remember,

When the liars get to you,

And both things are important,

To help you see it through.

The first thing to remember,

Is God said to forgive,

‘Cause if you don’t the bitterness,

Will poison how you live.

The second one important,

If we can understand,

Boundaries help us say no,

To those who may demand,

Something they use against us,

By what they do they show,

That we should never trust them,

And God wants us to know,

That forgiving, we must do it,

But that is where it stops,

To keep on as a door mat,

Will bring some painful crops.

So wise on up, my brother,

And sister, try to start,

To let the Holy Spirit,

Put discernment in your heart.

“Carefully determine what pleases the Lord…” (Ephesians 5:10, NLT)

There is a big difference between forgiveness and trust. We are commanded by the Lord to forgive everybody, just as He has forgiven us. But we are not commanded to trust everybody. Forgive? Yes. Trust? Nope. Why? Because giving forgiveness does not require us to continue to subject ourselves to abuse. We can forgive and we should. But the Lord does not expect us to put up with unsafe people and enable them to continue their manipulative behavior. It’s better to love them from a distance, than to be continually injured by them. God will give us discernment on a case by case basis on how to get this done. Pray He gives it.

Lord, empower us to forgive others and have discernment, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Don Dane, dondane.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Don, and God bless you.