Lessons my pigs taught me about sin

As you may know, I have a hobby of growing and selling pigs. It is a great source of protein, good exercise, often humorous, occasionally frustrating, and can be an insight into spiritual matters. 

A few weeks ago we had a hot and dry spell. Temps were normal for late summer but very hot for spring. Every day I would make sure my pigs had fresh, clean water. I went to significant trouble and expense to make sure that their watering supply would be sufficient and available.

Hogs are reported to be among the most intelligent animals on or off the farm. It is true that they have a high degree of intelligence for short-term problems, but they are painfully short-sighted. Frequently I would come in at the end of the day to discover that my hogs had turned their water supply over so they could have a mud hole in which to wallow. I’m not sure how they did it. I would make sure the barrel was on solid ground and would ratchet strap it to a tree. At the end of the day the ratchet strap would be off, and the water would be poured out; the barrel would be down the hill, and they would be desperately thirsty. Smart enough to know how to get short-term satisfaction but not smart enough to be able or willing to examine the long-term cost.

That is the way sin works in our lives. We figure out how to find short-term satisfaction but fail to count the cost of our willful moment. That is the nature of sin. The short-term satisfaction, thrill, or pleasure is all we seem to be able to think about. We fail to consider all that the short-term delight will cost us. By the way, lecturing the pigs on how foolish they are and how troublesome they can be and how if they would make better choices, we would all be better off didn't work. Doesn’t work on people either.

So what to do? In both cases, working with pigs and people (and myself), being kind, graceful, and gentle are the best solutions. In some cases it actually helps, but even if it doesn’t produce ideal results, it helps bring a little peace to our own souls.