Dont Shoot the Wounded

DON'T SHOOT THE WOUNDED

(by Chuck Girard)
Don't shoot the wounded, they need us more than ever.
They need our love no matter what it is they've done.
Sometimes we just condemn them, and don't take time to hear their story.
Don't shoot the wounded, someday you might be one.
It's easy to love the people who are standing hard and fast.
Pressing on to meet that higher calling.
But the ones who might be struggling, we tend to judge too harshly, and refuse to try and catch them when they're falling.
We put people into boxes and we draw our hard conclusions, and when they do the things we know they should not do, we sometimes write them off as hopeless, and we throw them to the dogs.
Our compassion and forgiveness sometimes seem in short supply, so I say...Don't shoot the wounded!
We can love them and forgive them when their sin does not exceed our own. For we too have been down bumpy roads before but when they commit offenses outside the boundaries we have set,we judge them in a word and we turn them out, and we close the door.
Myself I've been forgiven for so many awful things. I've been cleansed and washed and bathed so many times that when I see a brother who has fallen from the way I just can't find the license to convict him of his crimes.
So I say... Don't shoot the wounded!
That doesn't mean we turn our heads when we see a brother sin and pretend that what he's doing is all right.
But we must help him see his error, we must lead him to repent. Cry with those who cry, but bring their deeds into the light .
For it's the sick that need the doctor, and it's the lame that need the crutch. It's the prodigal who needs the loving hand.
For a man who's in despair, there should be kindness from his friends. 'Lest he should forsake the fear of Almighty God and turn away from God and man, So I say...Don't shoot the wounded!

©1982 Sea of Glass Music/ASCAP


Because of His Love

Ambrose Stapleton