Have you ever seen a pig with a gold ring in its nose? I haven’t, but I’ve seen the equivalent many times. You probably have too. Check out this morsel of ancient wisdom to see what I mean:
A woman who is beautiful but lacks discretion is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout. Proverbs 11:22, NLT
Would you ever entrust a valuable ring of gold to a mud-wallowing, slop-eating sow? Of course not, it would be a waste! Likewise, physical beauty is wasted on a woman with low morals, poor ethics, and a loose, unguarded tongue. Unfortunately, a lot of beauty is going to waste around us today.
Numerous celebrities jump to mind as illustrations of this proverb. I won’t name names, but you know them too. These women have lovely faces and svelte bodies. They dress in only expensive designer fashions. But their speech and behavior is anything but beautiful.
They cheat on their husbands, curse like a sailor, shoplift, drive under the influence, trash talk the actress who took their part – or their man- and demean themselves on a concert stage in front of thousands of cheering fans.
It’s easy to point our fingers at the glaringly obvious. But, if we’re real honest, sometimes we are that bejeweled swine. Sometimes our speech and behavior contradict the beautiful woman of Christ God created us to be.
Gossip, immodesty, poor judgment, ethical compromise, and unfaithfulness are some of the characteristics that could describe a woman who lacks discretion. When we talk and act like the world around us, we are that pig with the gold ring.
God will teach us discretion if we ask Him (Psalm 119:66). Let’s guard our mouths and submit our behavior to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Let’s be different from the world. Let’s meld beauty with good judgment and in the process bring glory to God and point people to Christ.
Have you ever been that pig with the gold ring in its snout? What would you do differently today?
Are you a pig with a nose ring???
If I am totally honest, I have had moments when I was!