How do you tell a pig from a pearl?

-


https://pin.it/41j24Zw

Being raised in church has a lot of advantages. However there is a problem. There are some scriptures that I heard so many times and so many ways that those scriptures became “sayings”.  They sound good, even churchy, but they don’t mean anything.

I don’t have televisions. 😱.  It’s not a religious or moral decision. I limit things that terrify me.  Have you read the news lately? Jesus come quickly. Anyway, this gives me more time to just think. 

 I’ve heard the saying “don’t cast your pearls before swine,” that became a “saying “. Yes it’s a scripture.  This thought never made sense to me.  What are pearls and who the heck are pigs and how do you recognize a pig ?

I mean, we’re taking about people, right?

The pearls part was always pretty obvious, until I thought about it.  But I missed something very important about oysters and even clams  

Do you know how these crustaceans make pearls? Here's the process I read online:  

"The formation of a natural pearl begins when a foreign substance slips into the oyster between the mantle and the shell, which irritate­s the mantle. It's kind of like the oyster getting a splinter. The oyster's natural reaction is to cover up that irritant to protect itself. The man­tle covers the irritant with layers of the same nacre substance that is used to create the shell. This eventually forms a pearl." OUCH!

I was like  “wow”!  An irritant finds its way into the shell and  that irritant turns into a pear? 

I related this scripture and the process in my life.  A hardship enters my life, no matter how hard I try to protect myself.  This becomes my “story”, A pearl is the result of a negative event. It takes a lifetime to create it. Well, now it makes less sense. I thought bad things don’t happen to “good” people. Only positive experiences give glory to God. “Don’t talk about the process, that doesn’t give glory to God???” 

Can you see how I got this all mixed up? Someone actually told me, “don’t share your testimony, people will never give their lives to Jesus.” What? I thought about that too.  

 The process  that causes me pain should remain unspoken... because it doesn’t give God glory?

No! The process of pain creates something beautiful. It costs me something and sharing the result costs me everything (exposure). I become vulnerable when I share my story. My story is precious to me, it's often painful. 

I used to believe that I was obligated to “give my testimony “. Just give it away to make someone’s life better.  Does it? Not always. The process of pearl making is hard and not everyone deserves to hear about that process and see the results. I never thought about it like that. Isn’t “transparency “ a Christians obligation?

No. You are not obligated to tell your story to everyone. I’ve met people that don’t understand the process. They only want to judge the outcome. The product of my journey gives my life an unspeakable value, the process is important.

So, how do you tell a pig from treasure? What do pigs do with everything they come across? They turn it into garbage. Pigs don’t care about the process. 

Recently I wrote out the process it took to make something precious; my journey.  That journey has been hard and cost me everything . When I share that process I have to share the pain and that makes me vulnerable to the judgement of others who have no idea....let's call them the pigs.  The process creates vulnerability. 

“It’s not important to protect your vulnerability when sharing your story "? Well, do you have a "recipe" that you only share with family? Do you have a secret you only share with your most trusted friend? Is your  story less personal than a recipe? Do you owe your secrets to everyone?  I have become very aware of the value of my story, the price for my story and the vulnerability I place myself in when I share what only I have experienced.

I'll gladly share the story of the love of Christ with anyone, only God can weed out the "pigs". Not my job. How many people did Jesus share the true reason he was here with...12 men and a few close friends. The rest were "pigs". They couldn't understand, didn't want to and couldn't stand by and see the process through. People, incapable of (understanding) the gravity, of your situation.   P.I.G.S.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I believe I can fly, but I’d rather not

-
Image
  https://youtu.be/_6y5bgrKhLI?si=okhqwhA-CR5EyA80 I love this song.  I believe I can fly, but I’d rather not.  Have you ever dreamt that you were flying? Did you try to fly when you were a child? Did you jump off a roof (I don’t recommend it) to see if you could fly?  Me too! Let me tell you about one of the times and hopefully the last time I flew.  It was a sunny day and all was well. I had a job as a tram driver. I was so excited!  I’m limited to what I can do when it comes to working. This seemed like the perfect job for me. I'd drive a truck pulling a tram in circles.   The venue I was working for had a concert that night. I was thrilled. I’d be doing something I enjoyed.  Plus I’d get to hear the concert. I had already made a couple of friends, so I was feeling really good.  The employee parking lot wasn’t finished yet. The venue was a work in progress. I was asked to take a golf cart down a hill and bring employees up the hill. It sounded like fun.  I was cruising down the
Read more

Anxiety and Seeds

-
Image
Anxiety and seeds ; what does one have to do with the other ? I watched Elevation Church online today. Pastor Furdick talked about seeds and shoes.  Hmmm.  He buried a seed in a pot. When he buried the seed no one gasped , nor did it seem odd. He poured dirt on the seed and again, no one cared. Seeds are supposed to be in dirt. When you’re a seed the dirt is part of the process. Then he took off his white tennis shoes. He started to put them in the same dirt. People yelled, “don’t do it!” Why? Shoes are not made to be inside the dirt.  Shoes are made to walk on the dirt. Seeds are a doing inward work. Shoes are for the outward appearance .  Shoes don’t work without feet.  Seeds don’t work without dirt. Anxiety is often an outward manifestation of an inward experience. Anxiety is something most people bury .  When anxiety builds without purpose  , it produces pain. Elevation talked about what happens when we are under pressure, it hurts.  The dirt puts pressure on the seed. Dirt devalue
Read more

He’s just having a bad day

-
Image
Have you or someone near to you been physically, mentally or emotionally abused? Growing up and marrying an emotional abuser can skew a persons ability to comprehend that they are being abused. While growing up, I had the impression that I was the reason my father failed in ministry. The concept was “if you weren’t born we would have traveled and had a great ministry.” Nobody knows where I got this idea from, but it was firmly planted in my mind.  The abuser changed tactics as I grew older. When he was having a “bad” day, it was my fault. I was literally told “he only acts like that when you’re around.” So, I stayed away from him as much as possible to keep him from blowing up or acting hateful. I assumed that it was my fault. The root of abuse is the need for power.   Abusers , all abusers, are thirsty for power. There are no exceptions.  During my childhood the abuser would be very kind, then funny, then cruel. People didn't or didn't want to see the cruel side. As a child I
Read more