Pearls

Recently I have seen three situations where one person was not appreciated and valued for what they had to offer and the opposing party was misusing them and abusing their talents and giftings. All three situations are very different and have happened around the same time. One situation involved me personally and one involved a family member while the third one happened to a friend of mine. I was praying about these situations and this verse came to mind.

"Don't give holy things to dogs, and don't throw your pearls in front of pigs. They will stomp on the pearls, then turn around and attack you." Matthew 7:6

I think that this verse is a brilliant analogy of how important it is to guard what you have. Let's stop for a moment and think about how a pearl is made. It starts with something as insignificant as a grain of sand. Sand is pretty common and not a very big deal to you or me, but it's a big deal to the oyster. However, instead of letting the sand, or other irritant, cause it harm, the oyster covers it with beauty and grace and makes a smooth pearl. Think back to all those things you've learned from something painful or inconvenient or embarrassing that you have covered in grace and beauty and taken in stride. You haven't let it cause an infection or gotten bitter over them; you made a pearl. Now let’s take a look at your growing string of pearls. I don't know about yours but mine is coloured. I also have some different shaped pearls and as my string continues to grow, each pearl that is added is in perfect harmony with the one before it and the chorus of colours.

Now, let's take all that hard work, all those lessons learned, all the beautiful pearls you have and throw them into a pig sty. Pig sties are filled with mud, left over rotting food, and let's not forget all the manure your pearls will get trampled into! And then the verse says that these nasty pigs, after having no regard for your beauty and hard work and worth, will turn on you and attack you. No, thank you. (I have never liked pigs, and I think this verse confirms my desire to stay away from them.)

After experiencing some “pearls before swine” situations, I had settled in my heart to move on and keep my pearls safe if what I had to offer wasn’t valued. Since then, watching similar things happen to those I love confirmed what I had already decided. It is easier to gain clarity as an outsider watching a situation. So if you feel as though you are not being valued and that your worth is being trampled into the mud and manure, perhaps you should step back and analyze what's going on. Maybe it’s time to get out of that situation before the pigs turn and attack you.