Little Girls
August 29 2005
The Necklace
The cheerful little 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 mommy 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 as 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 very 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 baby doll. The
brand new one I got for my birthday. She is 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, this is for
you."
With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's 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 the genuine treasure.
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 treasures.
Isn't God good? Are you holding onto things that God wants
you to let go of? Are you holding on to harmful or unnecessary
partners, relationships, habits and activities that 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 .
God will never take away something without giving you
something better in its place.
The cheerful little 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 mommy 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 as 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 very 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 baby doll. The
brand new one I got for my birthday. She is 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, this is for
you."
With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's 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 the genuine treasure.
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 treasures.
Isn't God good? Are you holding onto things that God wants
you to let go of? Are you holding on to harmful or unnecessary
partners, relationships, habits and activities that 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 .
God will never take away something without giving you
something better in its place.
