FOOD
FOR THOUGHT
Prodigal
Piglets
Cindy Hong
One
unforgettable summer job I had in college was to feed and clean 6 pigs
for a drug company. These weren't the cute potbellied piglets that people
keep as pets at home and share a bed with. These were pigs with a big
rump, full of meat on them. Aside from emitting a stench that left them
without a doubt, pigs, they were otherwise wasting their gifts in this
pig pen. Because it was an indoor facility, they couldn't romp in the
mud, roam on a farm, or even race for sweets at the rodeo. And because
they were being used for science, they wouldn't be turned into BBQ ribs
or pork chops afterwards. Perhaps from our point of view, this seems like
a total waste of their lives. We who take serious pride in maximizing
the life of a pig with our cold appetizers using the ears and liver, pickled
feet, spicy stomach, stewed intestines, BBQ pork with and without the
buns, ribs lathered in sauce, and roast pork dripping with melted fat
from the crunchy skin. Nothing goes to waste. Even the rubbery snout and
curly tail are consumed by some. So for us, then, a pig's usefulness is
maximized and its life lived faithfully when we can enjoy eating it, all
of it. This makes me wonder about our lives—how we can live to the max
for God, how we can live faithful lives for God's glory, how we can enjoy
making God look good in our lives. The prodigal son was called a prodigal
because he squandered his life and inheritance from his Father and father.
The pigs that I rubbed up against in college were prodigals because their
meat would eventually go to waste. God has given each of us but one life.
Just as a pig is meant to be enjoyed and its meat savored, our lives are
meant to be lived totally for God. So in this Year of the Pig, may we
live faithful lives for God, may we not squander them, and may we not
be a prodigal piglet for God.
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