Matthew 7:6  Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

Tim Hawkins, this Christian comedian, does this bit about how mothers are a sometimes late with their ‘be careful’ warning. How often it seems to come just after a slip, a fall, squash or slam? For some reason this came to mind when I read this passage, because quite often it’s not enough to know of this wisdom when the giving or casting has already been done. The problem seems to be with recognizing the species of the creature to whom the holy thing is being given. As things are shared from a heart that is pursuing God it can all of a sudden seem that those very precious things that were shared with confidence and conviction are being used by the very ones to whom they were given to bring a sense of inadequacy or failure.

I recently began feeling some self-loathing about the condition of the back yard. It did appear to be that of someone who has little concern about the care of their domain, but while there may have been some indications of a need on my part, there was also another being that had been directly impacting the yard’s appearance.  One of our children had fallen in love with a puppy and greatly desired to make it part of the family, which meant an occupant of the back yard along with our already family member, Cocoa.  The dog was so cute, with unique markings and pleasant personality. The only problem with this prospective pet candidate was his ability to take what I had carefully placed in the back yard for its betterment, and completely destroy it with his slobbery munching. Power chords were severed, bags were torn and scattered, while the back porch became covered with paw administered dirt and grime. Everything that was legitimately there to enhance our abode was now making the case that we were uncaring and lazy. Though this was the obvious statement, the real truth being displayed was that a puppy dog had been at work in a place he never should have occupied and with things that should have never been placed within his reach or jowls as it were. Rather than defining who I was as an owner of my back yard, what was really being defined was the species of the animal that had been given access to it.

There will definitely be times in our life when it is too late and the dogs have already eaten the chords and trampled deeply in the mud that new wallet with your family pictures, credit cards, and driver’s license. This may be when you’ve related something precious from the Word that is transforming your life and somehow you’re now in a position of feeling less as a result of it. What really must be known in this is that the treatment of what you’ve shared will have much more to say about the one who is receiving/rejecting it than you. For every heart that is joined to the Father’s there will only be encouragement and exhortation for those that are giving. On the other hand, a slobbery degradation of another body member over the holy thing they’ve presented will bring species definition to the one severing the chords and dismantling the patio furniture. The only real solution to the situation will be the removal of the destructive creature from the back yard and complete separation from the proximity of any valuable thing.

Where precious things have been compromised, there is yet possibility of return to the excellence and rightness of a restored yard as the care for the loss is cast on the Father and a lesson in wisdom is learned and put to future practice. Since that wonderful fence-gnawing creature has been removed, so our peace, confidence and self-esteem has been given allowed to return. So will an unwavering assurance be known as the treasure of God imparted revelation is reserved for those who know how to receive and treat it with honor.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 8th, 2009 at 4:09 am and is filed under Wisdom. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.