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. Isn't God good?
Are you holding onto things which God wants you to
let go of? Are you holding onto harmful or unnecessary
partners, relationships, habits and activities which
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 this one thing.................
God will never take away something without giving
you something better in its place.
