family jewels ...

A believer must protect the family jewels. No kidding. The family jewels are pearls.

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.
~ Matthew 7:6

So what is scared? What are the pearls? Most definitely is would be my salvation and my love relationship with God. I get very defiant when it comes to people telling me what I should do when I struggle with some learning. It usually is someone I don't trust whether it is an unbeliever or a believer who isn't really listening.

My hackles rise when I hear one of my family members give their good bits to someone like a pastor and have them come back with frustration in their hearts because the 'pastor' has thrown 'it' back in their face. First is that God never ever states in His Love Letter anything about being discouraged. He is always saying to be encouraged or be of good courage. Deflated is not to be a part of a believer's life. Second is that when you offer up your inner most stuff to someone whether or not you really look up to this person, your actions say you do. So if this 'pastor' keeps throwing it back instead of listening and finding ways to encourage then you are throwing your pearls to the pigs. I don't care if he is a pastor or not. Pigs are like the fool in Proverbs 18:2 - 'A fool has no delight in understanding, but in expressing his own heart.'

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; convince, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 2 Timothy 4:1-3

Yes, there is convincing, rebuking, but there is also encouraging. I feel that if you are harping on one you really missed the truth. You must have balance. You must listen. You must do your homework in the Word as well. My ear has been on the ground. I think one family member has his nose to the ground checking to see if the paster has itching ears. I call that a Truth Defender and it is not a pleasant job. Unfortunately, the girls in this family just want church not to be so hard and difficult. But these are the times ... and us girls are trying to figure out how to encourage the men in the family...