It's my gift... It's my curse

Paul Moore: It must be nice to always believe you know better, to always think you're the smartest person in the room.

Jane Craig: No. It's awful. ~ Broadcast News

I have been blessed with what is called (in the Christian circles) the gift of "discernment" or "prophecy." Does this mean I am tearing my robes in the streets or seeing burning bushes? Absolutely not. Those wonderfully mystic sounding words, just mean I have a heightened sense of people. This is a strange gift to give a man who think most people are really ridiculous. Or maybe it's the cause...

Anyway, I just find it frustrating when you know people or meet people who are so transparent and so obviously... what's the phrase I'm looking for... in need of "help." Call it profiling, stereotyping, call it anything you want. Usually, I can meet a person for about an hour and tell them things about themselves that are very true and sometimes too true. Most of the time I try to give them the benefit of the doubt and just file away my assumptions under the "be careful" heading. But other times I just wish I could help them by telling them the truth!

Do you know what I'm talking about? Do you know these people? There are a group of girls at our church in 5th grade. You see them coming and you know they are trouble. They are the girls that someone should pull them aside before they ever hit Jr. High and tell them, "Look honey, it's your choice. You have the potential to be a strong, beautiful, smart leader that people will respect... or a very very popular slut. Choose wisely."

Or the people user. The guy you want to pull aside and say, "Look man, you could be a cool friend, but no one wants to hang out with you because you suck people dry emotionally and you never pick up the tab at lunch. Take control of your life and invest in other people."

Or that poor high school boy. "Hey, I know she's cute. You know she's cute. SHE knows she's cute. Try not throw your entire heart away on a girl that's using you. We are all routing for you to not get her pregnant. Choose wisely."

And of coarse, my personal favorite. The girl that thinks she needs a man she can fix. It's the same thing every time. "Yeah, it was a little scary, but he'd never hit me. I know that no one else in my life thinks he is a nice guy, but they just don't know him like I do. No, I don't think he is controlling, but I can't hang out tonight, he doesn't like it when I'm out with my friends and he's not there." Oh my Gosh! Here we go, "Honey, you are four months away from becoming a battered wife. Sure he is good looking. Yes, you probably went to far physically and you don't want to waste that on a man who won't be your husband. But you deserve better than that. You are beautiful, don't settle for a man who tries to convince you that you are lucky to be with him. Do you really want to spend the next ten years of your life saying, 'oh baby, daddy really does love mommy, so times daddy just drinks too much and is upset at mommy. So please don't tell your teacher at school what daddy does to mommy.' Choose wisely."