Do not speak to fools, for they will scorn your prudent words. – Proverbs 23:9

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 12, 2019): Proverbs 23

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus makes this statement; “Do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces” (Matthew 7:6b). The problem is that pigs do not understand the value of pearls. If it is not suitable for eating, then it is good for nothing. In the eyes of a pig, your pearls are wasted. The pig simply does not understand why the shiny bobble might be valuable.

Solomon expresses a similar thought. The idea is not that we should pre-judge a fool and avoid them, but we do need to realize that there are people in this world who will never agree with us, and on top of that disagreement, some will never treat us or our interactions with respect. And, for me, it isn’t the disagreement that is a problem, but the disrespect is problematic. In such situations, we should be able to walk away and not feel guilty. Every moment that we spend being disrespected by these “fools” is a moment that we could have used speaking to someone who wants to have a conversation with us. And it is not just our religious discussions that this applies to, but it does include our spiritual conversations.

Admittedly, this is a prohibition that I sometimes struggle to follow. Some years ago, I had weekly or bi-weekly conversations with a lady that affectionately became known around the office as “the crazy lady.” I never did meet her in person; she lived at the other end of the city, but we talked. She was hurting, and the pain had become her identification. It had apparently gotten so bad that she hadn’t cleaned her house in years. (Part of what she wanted from me was a delegation to come and “properly” clean her house. And if that was not going to happen, then I could at least buy her a case of “Kleenex” for her tears.) Before the weekly conversations began with me, she had made daily phone calls to the police, until she was banned from calling local law enforcement. I politely listened and encouraged her to get on with her life, maybe cleaning a room or a portion of a room every day. But she refused to listen. And sometimes, she got verbally violent with me.

But we had a reluctant agreement. As long as she respected me, I would listen. But when swearing and violence entered into the conversation; when I began to feel disrespected, then the phone call would end. Some of my associates thought that I should block her number from my phones. Talking to her was just talking to a fool whose behavior would never change. It was like throwing my pearls to the pigs.

And maybe they were right. I don’t think my words ever made a dent into her behavior. But I hope that I planted some seeds and that my words were not totally scorned. I occasionally think about my “crazy lady,” and I hope that she is in a better place. I hope that, at some point, she recognized the pearls being offered to her for what they were, and stopped trampling the words under her feet.    

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Proverbs 24

Personal Note: Happy 80^th Birthday to my Mom.