Are you a gold ring in a pig's snout?

Proverbs 11:22

Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout 

is a beautiful woman without discretion. 

What is the point of putting something pretty and precious in the snout of a pig? I don't understand it. It doesn't give the ring or the pig greater value, in fact it decreases the worth of the ring. 

In this proverb, the woman is compared to a gold ring. A gold ring by itself is beautiful and precious, it has value, worth, it is worth having and displaying, but when it's attached to a pig's nose, yuck! Who would want to have a ring like that?

So what is this parable actually saying? If a woman is a gold ring, what she attaches herself to must be important. A gold ring is to be used, it isn't created just to sit somewhere, it is made to be admired and used. There's a propose to the creation of the ring. Just as women are to be admired and have purpose. 

What our character displays depends on what our use can be. I myself do not wish to be a pig's ornament! Do you? How do we avoid it? 

This proverb says that if a woman lacks discretion then she is like the ring in a pig's snout, so discretion is important. 

What is discretion?

Discretion is about being aware of what we say and do. Being careful that our words and actions do not cause offence, harm or reveal what should be private. It concerns what we wear, what our behaviour shows and what our words reveal. Being discrete is not being a gossip, not being flirtatious or showing off our beautiful bodies unnecessarily. 

Being discrete is subtle and gentle in words and action. 

For me, I know I am not always subtle in speech. I need to be more careful with the way I speak. I need to consider my speech before I open my mouth because I don't want to upset or offend anyone. It's usually with those I'm closest to that I'm less discrete, so I need to work on that. It's easy to just spill it all out sometimes without considering the consequences of our words. I need to work on that. 

When I was younger I didn't understand why it mattered what I wear, as a teenager (I wince at what I used to wear now!), I was certainly not very discrete. Looking at this verse, it's more than what we want to do or how we feel comfortable, it's about caring more about other people than ourselves. I might like a particular outfit, doesn't mean I should wear it -why do I like that outfit? Is it because it shows off a nice pair of legs, or a nice curvy body? Thinking of it that way doesn't make it sound too discrete does it? If we do or say things to show off, this is not discretion. 

I don't think anyone would want to live their lives thinking they have been an adornment for a pig's nose. So, I encourage you to check over your life and see how you're doing. If we think about it, we can probably think of people we could put into the 'lacking discretion' category, is there any area in your life that it could apply to you too? 

You are a beautiful gold ring, precious and worthy, crafted to be of value and to shine. What are you doing with those qualities?