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, 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 =
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?"
"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 is waiting for us to give up the cheap things in =
our lives so that he can give us beautiful =
treasure.
Isn’t God =
good?
~~
Dr Bob Griffin =
[email protected] =
www.grif.net
"Jesus =
Knows Me, This I Love!"