Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Pearls

Jenny was a bright-eyed, pretty five-year-old girl. One day when
she and her mother were checking out at the grocery store, Jenny
saw a plastic pearl necklace priced at $2.50. How she wanted that
necklace, and when she asked her mother if she would buy it for
her, her mother said, "Well, it is a pretty necklace, but it
costs an awful lot of money. I'll tell you what. I'll buy you the
necklace, and when we get home we can make up a list of chores
that you can do to pay for the necklace. And don't forget that
for your birthday Grandma just might give you a whole dollar
bill, too. Okay?"

Jenny agreed, and her mother bought the pearl necklace for her.
Jenny worked on her chores very hard every day, and sure enough,
her grandma gave her a brand new dollar bill for her birthday.
Soon Jenny had paid off the pearls.

How Jenny loved those pearls. She wore them everywhere-to
kindergarten, bed and when she went out with her mother to run
errands. The only time she didn't wear them was in the shower-her
mother had told her that they would turn her neck green!

Now Jenny had a very loving daddy. When Jenny went to bed, he
would get up from his favorite chair every night and read Jenny
her favorite story.

One night when he finished the story, he said, "Jenny, do you
love me?"

"Oh yes, Daddy, you know I love you," the little girl said.

"Well, then, give me your pearls."

"Oh! Daddy, not my pearls!" Jenny said. "But you can have Rosie,
my favorite doll. Remember her? You gave her to me last year for
my birthday. And you can have her tea party outfit, too. Okay?"

"Oh no, darling, that's okay." Her father brushed her cheek with
a kiss. "Good night, little one."

A week later, her father once again asked Jenny after her story,
"Do you love me?"

"Oh yes, Daddy, you know I love you."

"Well, then, give me your pearls."

"Oh, Daddy, not my pearls! But you can have Ribbons, my toy
horse. Do you remember her? She's my favorite. Her hair is so
soft, and you can play with it and braid it and everything. You
can have Ribbons if you want her, Daddy," the little girl said to
her father.

"No, that's okay," her father said and brushed her cheek again
with a kiss. "God bless you, little one. Sweet dreams."

Several days later, when Jenny's father came in to read her a
story, Jenny was sitting on her bed and her lip was trembling.
"Here, Daddy," she said, and held out her hand. She opened it and
her beloved pearl necklace was inside. She let it slip into her
father's hand.

With one hand her father held the plastic pearls and with the
other he pulled out of his pocket a blue velvet box. Inside of
the box were real, genuine, beautiful pearls.

He had them all along. He was waiting for Jenny to give up the
cheap stuff so he could give her the real thing.

So it is with our Heavenly Father. He is waiting for us to give
up the cheap things in our lives so that he can give us beautiful
treasure.

Are you holding onto things which Lord wants you to let go of?
Are you holding on to harmful or unnecessary partners,
relationships, habits and activities which you have come 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 this one
thing....

The Lord will never take away something without giving you
something better in its place.

-- Author unknown

No comments:

Post a Comment