[269 words]
A lady from the city was visiting members of her family who owned a farm. As she talked to the farmer, she noticed a pig in the backyard with a wooden leg.
“What happened to that pig!” the woman asked.
“Oh, that’s Betsy,” the farmer said. “She’s a fine pig! One night while we were all asleep, the house caught on fire, and Betsy started snorting and grunting, and woke us all up. We were able to call the fire department and save the house!”
“Wow, that’s amazing!” the woman exclaimed.
“Not only that, but one day my daughter fell into the pond, and Betsy came grunting and snorting, and led me to the pond, and I was able to pull her out. Betsy saved my daughter’s life!” the farmer said.
The lady was impressed, but still curious. “But that ,still doesn’t explain why the pig has a wooden leg!”
“Well,” the farmer said, “when you have a pig like that, you don’t eat it all at once!”
Sometimes we feel like old Betsy: we try hard in our Christian duties, but the world doesn’t appreciate us. Paul warned Timothy that “all who desire to live godly in ChristJesus will suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12).
But that’s not an excuse to quit! In fact, Paul continued by telling Timothy that even though evil men would grow worse and worse (2 Tim. 3:13), he had to continue in the things he had learned and been assured of (2 Tim. 3:14).
When people abuse or take advantage of you, remember for whom you really work (Col. 3:23)!
Matt Clifton
BulletinDigest.com