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The Pearl Necklace

The cheerful girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them: a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box.

“Oh please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please!”

Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl’s upturned face.

“A dollar ninety-five. That’s almost $2.00. If you really want them, I’ll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthday’s only a week away and you might get another crisp dollar bill from Grandma.”

As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbor and asked Mrs. McJames if she could pick dandelions for ten cents.

On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace.

Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere–Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath. Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.

Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story. One night when he finished the story, he asked Jenny, “Do you love me?”

“Oh yes, Daddy. 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 you gave me. She’s my favorite.”

“That’s okay, Honey. Daddy loves you. Good night.” And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.

About a week later, after the story time, Jenny’s daddy asked again, “Do you love me?”

“Daddy, you know I love you.”

“Then give me your pearls.”

“Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my babydoll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is so beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper.”

“That’s okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little 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 was sitting 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? What’s the matter?”

Jenny didn’t say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver,she finally said, “Here, Daddy. It’s for you.”

With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny’s kind daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime-store necklace, and with the other hand he reached 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 genuine treasure.

What are you hanging on to?

— Author Unknown —

This story comes to my mind often, as I’m one that has difficulty letting go. I often think that releasing something into God’s hands equates to a loss and yet nothing could be further from the truth. He wants to give us our heart’s desire in a big way. However, in order for that desire to bring us the greatest fulfillment, it needs to be aligned to His will…and often needs to go through the fire of purification. He can pretty much purify anything. Just LET IT GO…and see what He returns to you.

So my memory challenges have become legendary by this point. Between that and having a slight tendency towards ADHD…I’m constantly walking around in circles all day and getting very little done. In comes Mac computers. I’ve discovered that with the
Reminder list, I can just jot down that awesome idea that needs to get done EVENTUALLY, without the urgency of having to do it now or I will forget. Because it will be right there for me…in ALL my devices. Ahhh. I love it when technology works for me instead of the other way around. 😉

Rend your hearts, not your garments,
and return to the LORD, your God.
For gracious and merciful is he,
slow to anger, rich in kindness,
and relenting in punishment.

If we keep in mind during this Lenten season what it’s main purpose is…detachment from all that is not God and attachment to Him who IS…then it may make things a little easier.

He doesn’t have a need of anything that we choose to give Him, but we do have a need for what is acquired in the giving…detachment.

Wow! Is this right on or what? I often let things go because ‘it isn’t worth the trouble’. Maybe Lent can be looked at differently…instead of bringing fake sufferings onto myself. Maybe I’ll just embrace the ones that were meant for me…by greeting them head on and dealing!!!

Actually…the biggest lesson to be learned during Lent is that you CAN’T do it on your own. Often people choose small sacrifices so that they can do them perfectly…that’s totally the wrong emphasis. It’s not about pumping yourself up and showing God how great you are…but about bringing yourself down a notch so that He can show you how great He is…so that God can be magnified. More of Him, less of me. 🙂