Pigs

 

I have some favorite clothes that I like to wear, some of which I have owned for a long time. I like them, I’m comfortable in them, and I don’t want to throw them out, even if they start looking a little ratty. This has led to battles with my mother when I was growing up and then with my wife once I got married. Once in a while I’ll wear one of my favorites when my wife is out of town (not out of spite, I promise).  The point is – we all have things that we don’t want to let go of. It can be a little thing like clothes or it can be a big thing such as a relationship, a job, an activity, or a habit. Somewhere in the back of our mind, we may know that we will be better off if we let go but something inside of us resists.

 

Jesus drove a large number of demons out of a man who was possessed (Lk 8:26-39). The demons went into a herd of pigs. The pigs ran into a nearby lake and drowned. The people of the area gathered around Jesus and the man who was healed. What was their response to the miracle? They begged Jesus to leave because they were afraid that more of their pigs might die.  They passed up the chance to receive physical and spiritual healing and other blessings from God because their pigs were more important to them.

 

We can read this story and think what a poor choice those people made. Truth be told, we probably all have some “pigs” in our lives, things that we don’t want to give up even though God may be asking us to.  How can we choose God over our “pigs”? We need to let His Spirit work in us to change our hearts and minds. We can ask God to increase our trust in Him and to provide any healing we may need. Finally, we need to be patient, not giving up no matter how many times we try and fail.