Do not give dogs what is sacred, neither cast your pearls before swine lest they trample them underfoot and then turn again and rend you. Matthew 7:6.
I've never liked working with pigs, while they are intelligent and can be agreeable creatures when they choose to be, many of them have a nasty side and woe betide anyone caught in the pen with them at such a time. They can become downright vicious, and some of the larger specimens can reach several hundred pounds or more in weight, most all of it muscle. I was supposed to catch a little pig and treat some minor ailment, but he scooted away and dashed into a pen containing several large sows, which were barking at us in agitation, needless to say, the little pig made good on his escape as I was not about to go into the pen with those angry sows. The verse above uses a very powerful metaphor, but it warns not of pigs, but of people. Swine can only rend the flesh, people will break your heart.
This was a very hard lesson for me to learn, being by temperament very tender hearted and wanting to please everyone, which in my foolish idealistic head, I somehow thought possible! But life has taught me otherwise. Are we to be hard hearted and callous towards our fellow men? Certainly not, but there comes a time when we need to quit doing everything we can to help or please someone who sees no reason to change their behavior and even throws your good intentions scornfully back in your face. We must be wise with whom we entrust our hearts.
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