Discussion: The Three Little Pigs
July 24, 2020
With all the hero action movies and shows, children now know very little of the fairy tales we were told growing up. And to be honest there were often failed attempts at converting those tales to movies. However, the one which stayed with me whenever I would think of a story from my childhood was the Three Little Pigs. Looking back I’m not certain if the stories had a moral (as it was often stated) to the tale or if it was just a tale of entertainment.
Here is a summary of this story. In the first version written (during my childhood) the mama pig sent her boys off to set up a life of their own. Each was given money to purchase materials needed to build their home. One built a home out of straw, one out of wood and the last out of brick. The one who used straw got his home built first and he teased his brothers as he sat back in his home. The second brother finished building his home with wood and as he relaxed teased the last brother.
The last brother continued to build his house on a solid foundation with brick. He kept focus and ignored their jesters. It was time consuming and a lot of hard work; but he proceeded. Seeing his brothers relaxing and having fun, he pushed past the notion of short cuts and finished his house.
One day, a wolf prowling around the territory saw the first and second pig’s houses and came to each and promptly blew them down. The pigs ran to the safety of their last brother's house, the one built of brick. Once inside, they heard the wolf yelling, “I will huff and puff and blow your house down.” All day he did just that and couldn’t blow down the third brother’s house. Eventually, he gave up leaving the area and never to be seen again.
This is a fairy tale with a moral to its story of wisdom and is mirrored in the world today. Questions: With a brief inventory of our ways of life, which character in the story, or whose house did you build? When the wolf (real estate market crash (huff), economy plummeting in downward spiral worldwide (puff), unemployment in numbers unheard of (huff) and the global pandemic (puff)), which house were you in? How had you built your house over the years? Were you the first and second brothers who took short cuts to building life, allowing more time to have fun and often teasing those who try to do it correctly? As is often expressed nowadays to get out and live life.
Or were you the third brother, staying focused and constructing something not just for now but for the future. Knowing the fun would come later. The house received the huffs and puffs of the wolf, but the house was built on a stable foundation. The other brothers would now have to depend on their sibling until they started to reconstruct their new homes.
Life will throw us curveballs, like understanding things will arise to derail us no matter how we have built. The beneficial part of having to start over is if this happens; you’re prepared with knowing how to rebuild. For the others their progress may take a little longer, but they now have an example in front of them; showing it’s possible.
I hear the conversations of many and often my observations are of their uncertainties. For some, life experiences have become overwhelming on how to proceed next or what takes place next. I think we will look back on this as survivors, and not just getting through, and many will do well. As I have expressed in past Discussions, let’s not miss the opportunities we have before us. We will come out of this with inventions, books, ideas to sell, testimonies and much more.
I heard on the news this week (I don’t know how they confirmed this info), where it was said that many recipients bought large screen televisions with their $1,200.00 stimulus checks. I know that the CARE Act with the $600.00 “bump” for unemployment will end on July 25th. Will the recipients look back over the previous 3 or 4 months and with a sigh of satisfaction of how they have handled their finances? I will stop here, because I don’t want to judge. But walking in wisdom during these times is a must.
Take this time to stay focused and encourage one another. Check on each other to make certain of their wellbeing. To the question, “Am I My Brother’s Keeper?” I can answer yes, but you answer that question for you… remembering you are also someone’s brother!
Thank you for joining me for Friday at Sundown. Remember… Just Breathe!
Special Note: to my Brothers and Sisters, we have a safe house. Proverbs 18:10… The name of the LORD is a strong tower; and the righteous run to it and they are safe.
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