Casting Pearls

"Don't waste what is holy on people who are unholy. 

Don't throw your pearls to pigs! 

They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you. 

- Matthew 7:6

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If you read my posts regularly, you know that our daughter, Abby, is in middle school now, and has had quite a few life-lessons to learn lately, which unfortunately for her, is a difficult  aspect to adolescence. I've assured her that I too had to learn the same things, and joke with her that I somehow survived and she will too. But it's a difficult time for her, and as her parents who want to protect her, it's a difficult time for us as well. 

In the last few weeks, Abby has been experiencing the pain of conditional friendships, and standing up for her beliefs, even when it's unpopular with her friends. She has had a few instances where standing up for her faith has caused her friends to turn their backs on her, and it's hard for her to understand. 

Today she came home with another story of how a girl "didn't want to be friends anymore" because Abby didn't want to hear her using bad language & has asked her to stop. The girls response was to ditch Abby and get a new friend. I explained to Abby how we were proud of her for calling out her friend on their dirty talk, and how proud we were that she was choosing not to participate. But taking it further, I explained to her what scripture tells us about "casting our pearls to swine." 

When she was done laughing and making faces at the odd expression, she asked what this meant. And I went into the explanation of how pearls represented something precious, and how God had planted goodness, tenderness, love, compassion, kindness and warmth within her heart, and how her heart was precious to God. I also explained how pigs represented unclean animals, something that God forbade the Jews to eat. Pigs, in Bible times, were useless, and so knowing that, this verse is saying, don't give what's precious within you to something that is not precious. Don't waste what's good on something that's not. 

This explanation seemed to encourage Abby, and I assured her that as time went on, and she grew up, many people would see her kindness and compassion and be naturally drawn to her. I told her that her personality would attract friends, and that she didn't need to worry about wasting her goodness on someone who would never appreciate it, and only turn and make fun of her. 

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This situation with Abby made me think about my own faith, and how many times we, as Christians, beat our heads against an invisible wall, trying to make those around us see God's truth, and see the goodness that He has for them. We hurt ourselves by pouring into these people life-giving truth, and being met only with disdain. 

But the Biblical truth about it, is, some people will never come to see truth, and God tells us not to waste what's sacred on these people, they will never accept it. 

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So what do we do instead? 

I told Abby to pray. I told her to pray for her friend who hurt her, and pray for her to come to understand God's truth. 

I told Abby to continue to offer friendship, but not to go out of her way to try to change this girl; 

And I told her to keep being her & eventually this other girl would come around, even if years later. 

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As Christians in a lost world, there is nothing else we can do. We cannot beg people to be saved, we cannot make people accept God's word, we cannot make them acknowledge a need for The Savior. 

All we can do is sit back and pray, offer love and truth when we can, and hone our pearl-casting skills.