A story has been on my mind lately and I want to share it with you. It's about pearls! Sounds fancy, right? I first heard this story at a retreat I attended in high school. It was told as part of a talk given by a godly role-model-of-a-woman who is also the mother of one of my dearest friends. The story deeply resonated with me that first time I heard it, and I still get goose bumps every time I read it again. I haven't been able to figure out who the author is, and have found several different versions online. (If anyone knows who wrote the original story, please let me know!) So, here it is, with a few of my own words added:
"Jenny was a cheerful girl with bouncy golden curls who was almost five. Waiting
with her mother in the checkout line, 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 her 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 is only a week away and you might
get another crisp dollar bill from Grandma."
As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her piggy bank and counted
out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and then
went to the neighbor's house and asked if she could pick dandelions for
ten cents. On Jenny's birthday, her Grandma gave her a new dollar bill and
at last she had enough money to buy the necklace. She was so excited and the next
day her mother took her to the store to buy it.
Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel fancy 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 took a bubble bath. Her mother said if
they got wet, they might not hold up very well.
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 story time, her daddy asked again,
"Jenny, 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 so beautiful and you can have the yellow
blanket that matches her pajamas."
"That's okay, little one. Sleep well. God bless you, 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 and head bowed low. 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. 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 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 beautiful, genuine pearls and gave them to
Jenny. He had them all along! 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 treasure."
I can't read those words without getting a lump in my throat! What a tender picture of God's love for us. He is so gentle with us! He never demands or berates, never shames or manipulates. He simply asks and loves us anyway when we choose to do the opposite. I picture myself as the little girl, with my fist tightly clenched around my own string of cheap pearls. They are my plans, my hopes, my desires. Keyword= mine. And when asked to surrender then, I just can't seem to give them up.
Why is it that we believe that God's plans aren't as good as our own? Why do we believe the lie from Satan that God doesn't love us enough to give us truly good things? Instead we come up with our own half-rate, dime-store versions and attempt to stay content with those things. But we never are. We want more, better, different. And when God offers just that, we either ignore or refuse.
"God, not my pearls! Why do you want me to give them up? Don't you want good things for me? Don't you love me?"
I don't actually say things like that... do I?
We ask so many questions! We need to ask less and trust more. He is more than worthy of our trust. Our perspectives must change. What is good? God's definition of good is perfect, unconditional, and unchanging. Our earthly definition pales in comparison- goodness/happiness/joy depends on things that are flawed, ever-changing and dependent on humans. MY plans, hopes & dreams. Deep down I know they are second-rate compared to what the Lord has for me. But do I believe this enough to act? To hand over my fake pearls for His genuine strand of real ones? It's really a trust issue. Do I trust God enough to let go of my plans and to live my life with an open hand? Even if my definition of "good" isn't the end result?
What is your strand of cheap pearls? What are you holding back from God? What do you need to surrender to Him, in faith & trust? Relax that fist and offer up open hands in worship to Him. He will meet you right where you are and be everything that you need. He will be so pleased with your gift!
My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. {Psalm 51:17}
The motivation for sacrifice shouldn't be what we get in return. The guarantee of "better" shouldn't be what drives us to this action. His perfect goodness will most certainly be the result, though it may be different than our original expectations. And I think this is just as it should be!
I'm thankful that the Lord has been reminding me of this lately. I needed a wake up call. I've gotten so focused on my desires & plans that I haven't had open hands. It's been affecting my ability to believe that God truly has good for me. I've had trouble trusting Him. It's been playing out subtly in my attitudes & actions. When this happens, I miss out on the fullness of life that is available when I completely surrender to Him. Here You go, God. Here are my pearls. I know You love me, I know You have good for me. I believe that with my head and my heart. Thank You for Jesus. Thank You for loving me. Thank You God, thank You.
We sang a song at church this morning that incorporated the chorus of the hymn 'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus.' Could anything be more true or beautiful to consider? Even better than a million strands of genuine pearls!
Panama City Beach, FLORIDA
Spring 2009
I'm especially excited for the book & workbook "You and Me Forever" by Francis and Lisa Chan. I've read several books by Francis and would highly recommend all of them! (Crazy Love and the Forgotten God) "You and Me Forever" is a marriage book with a radical, eternal perspective. The Chans wrote it after returning from their 20th anniversary trip where they spent time serving in Africa. 100% of the proceeds from the book are donated to various ministries and you can even download the audiobook for free! Check out the website here. My hope is that Taylor and I can listen to the audiobook on our 12 hour drive and then go through the workbook a little each day. That will be such a treat!
I'm also looking forward to learning from the book: "The life-changing magic of tidying up" by Marie Kondo. Have you heard of it? I've read the first section and it's so interesting! One of the 'tasks' prescribed by the author is to take every single piece of clothing from your drawers & closet and put them on the floor. I'm strangely excited to do this, but also a little bit nervous... I have an inkling that I'm going to be repulsed by the sheer size of the pile despite my habitual "I-don't-have-anything-to-wear" feeling. Regardless, I hope this book can inspire a life with less stuff in our home and more space for things that matter- loving on people & creating memories!
