The cheerful little girl with bouncy golden curls was almost 5. Waiting with her Mother at the check-out stand, she noticed a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box. Oh Mommy please. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please? Quickly, the mother checked out the back of the little foil box, and then looked back up into the pleading eyes of her daughter. Six dollars and 99 cents. Thats almost seven dollars. If you really want them, Ill think of some extra chores for you, and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your Birthdays only a week away and you might get a crisp $5 bill from your Grandma. As soon as Jennie got home, she emptied her piggy bank and counted out 17 pennnies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and went to her neighbor, Mrs. James, and asked if she could pick dandelions for ten cents. On Jennys Birthday, her Grandma did give her a crisp $5 bill, and she at last had enough money to buy the necklace. Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. Jenny wore the pearls everywhere: to Sunday School, kindergarten, and even to bed. The only time she ever took the pearls off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath. Her Mother had told her that, if the necklace got wet, it might turn her neck green. Jenny had a very loving Dad and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and go upstairs to read her a story. One night, as he finished his story, he asked Jenny, Do you love me? Oh, yes Daddy, she replied. You know that I love you! Then give me your pearls. Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess, the white horse from my collection, the one with the pink tail. Remember, Daddy? The one that you gave me. Shes my very favorite. Thats OK, honey, Daddy loves you. Good night. And he brushed her cheek with a kiss. About a week later, after story time, Jennys Daddy asked her again, Do you love me? Daddy, you know that I love you, she answered again. Then give me your pearls. Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my baby doll. The brand new one that I got for my birthday. She is beautiful, and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper. Thats OK. Sleep well. God bless you, Littlle One. Daddy loves you. And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss. A few nights later, when her Daddy came in, Jenny wassitting on her bed with her legs crossed, Indian style. As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek. What is it, Jenny? Whats the matter? Jenny didnt say anything but liftedher hand up to her Daddy. With a little quiver, she finally said, Here, Daddy; this is for you. With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jennys Daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime store necklace, and with the other hand he went into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny. He had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her the genuine treasure. And so it is with our Heavenly Father . . . He is waiting for us to give up the cheap stuff in our lives so that He can give us beautiful treasures. Are you holding onto things that God wants you to let go of? Are you holding on to harmful or unneccesary partners, relationships, habits and activities that you have become so attached to that it seems impossible to let go? Sometimes, it is so hard to see what is in the other hand, but do believe one thing: God will never take away something without giving you something better in its place. For your months and years ahead, I wish you . . . Gods very best.
Posted on: Fri, 01 Nov 2013 23:01:31 +0000
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