Thursday, July 5, 2007

God's promises

God's been trying to get me to let go of something for over a year now. And as I slowly detach myself from it, something amazing and beautiful is happening in my life. So, I thought I'd share this story with you...

JENNY'S PEARL NECKLACE
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 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 that
God wants you to let go? Are you holding on to harmful or
unnecessary relationships, habits and activities to which you
have become so attached 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.
You can do two things with this story:
a) You can pass it on and let others be touched by its message
b) You can throw it away and not let it touch your heart
The greatest gifts happen when you share love and touch others'
hearts.

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