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.My eyes zeroed in on that next to last sentence...
"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.
God will never take away something without giving you something better in its place.
The greatest gifts happen when you share love and touch others.
God will never take away something without giving you something better in its place.
So I went looking for Scripture to back it up.
First of all, I found that this is a quote attributed to Billy Graham. So it felt a little like a personal gift to me as I credit him with my salvation as a very young child. And if Billy Graham said it, he must have had a Biblical foundation for it, because that's just how he rolls!
And so I continue my search...if anyone would like to contribute Scripture references they feel can validate this quote, I'm all ears (and eyes)!
It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. Isaiah 55:11 NLT
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And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you once walked...by grace you have been saved--and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might shoe the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:1-7
I had a dead, dirty heart and covered it with his blood.
i am one of your fruits, gigi.>>>>>>>i think it is because i was with you at the first>>>>no not your birth,,,, your hubby's death
I'll have to give this some thought and ask some questions of people who should be able to help! But I do love that story!
Love your new look - it's gorgeous.
Thanks so much for the cd - I can hardly wait to listen to it.
Gigi, that was a beautiful parable. The scripture that probably best goes with it is in a couple places: Mark 10:29-30 and Matthew 19:29, "And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life." Also, if you look at the end of Job, God rewarded his faithfulness with much more family and riches than he ever had before his trials.
I LOVE that story. I will do some looking and see if I can find a verse of scripture to back that up. Oh to always give up the "dime store trinkets" for the real treasures we find in Jesus. Thanks for sharing that beautiful story to remind us of that truth.
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