Timing is Everything

Verse: Matthew 7:6
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 turn and tear you to pieces.

Devotion
Have you ever said something that was true, but it turned out not to be helpful? I feel like this happens in marriages a lot. What you are saying might be true information, but the timing or the delivery make it such that it is impossible for the other person to receive it in the spirit it was intended.

This little parable is pretty hard to understand. The best explanation I’ve heard is that it connects to the taking a speck out of someone’s eye parable, and basically means “don’t go sharing your pearls of wisdom with people who aren’t ready to hear it.”

At first blush it can feel like maybe he’s saying don’t share the gospel with people who don’t want to hear it, but that doesn’t really fit the context nor does agree with the rest of his teachings. It seems more accurate that this is a continuation of the “taking the speck out” thought line.

As we have learned to address the planks in our lives, we have gained wisdom. And naturally we’ll want to share that hard earned wisdom with people who are struggling with similar things. However, timing is everything. We can’t just go sharing what we’ve learned about overcoming a certain thing in our life with someone who isn’t ready to receive it. If we force it, we’ll end up pushing them away.

So the moral of the story is to use discernment when sharing wisdom with people who are struggling. Start with prayer and ask the Lord not just for the WHAT but for the WHEN. Then you can speak when the Holy Spirit leads you, rather than just because you have something to say.

Author: Christian Dunn