Pearls, Pigs and A Little Perspective

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I bet you’ve been wondering where I’ve been. OK, maybe not. But in case you have been curious as to why Chatty Cathy hasn’t been so chatty, I’m going to fill you in. 

I wish I could tell you that there hasn’t been anything to write about. Nothing could be farther/further (whatever, the English language confuses me) from the truth. I’ve been wanting to write… OK, rant… about a lot of things. Because a lot of MAJOR things have been happening in my world. So why haven’t I? Well, some of the junk is not mine to share. Some of it is inappropriate to share because it involves other people. And some of it, well, God basically told me to keep my big mouth shut. 

Want to know what’s more uncomfortable for me than dealing with a bunch of major junk at once? NOT being able to talk about said junk. Ugh. I hate when God decides to work on the hard stuff.

Although I can’t go into the details, I CAN share some valuable lessons I’ve learned and I’m trying to apply to my life.

• You can’t change anyone but yourself. I already knew that, but I’m really trying to focus on my involvement in the problem. Instead of ruminating on what other people are doing wrong, I’m focusing on what I need to do right.

• You CAN change your reaction to what others are doing. This is really hard for me. I’m very good at being right. I’m even better at telling people how right I am. That’s not always helpful.

• People can’t always hear the truth and it’s not always my job to tell it to them. God keeps reminding me of Matthew 7:6 "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.” If people aren’t ready for the truth, you telling them will only cause them to turn on you. And sometimes God reveals things to you for you, not for you to tell everyone else.

• God’s blessings ALWAYS outnumber the bad things in your life. You just have to refocus your attention and be deliberate in thanking Him when it’s the most difficult.

• A little bit of perspective goes a long way. All of a sudden, I’m old enough to be surrounded by hospitals and funerals. I’m not sure how it happened, but here I am. People I know and love are dying or suffering from horrific diseases or having parts of their bodies stop working. It’s becoming the norm and I don’t like it. But somehow in the last 7 days, I’ve become thankful for it. Only God knows how many days we have left. Who am I to waste the days He’s gifted me with on nonsense? I’d much rather focus my efforts on fixing relationships and glorifying the Lord with all I do and say.

So let me leave you with this thought… Are you really living today? Or are you wasting time on things you can’t control anyway?