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Why Is It So Hard to Let Go?
The cheerful 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 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 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 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 so 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. It's 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 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 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. Isn't God
good?
Are you holding onto things which God wants you to let go of? Are you
holding on to harmful or unnecessary partners, relationships, habits and
activities which 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.
You can do two things with this story
a) You can pass it on and let others be touched by it's message
b) You can throw it away and not let it touch your heart
The greatest gifts happen when you share love and touch the heart of
others.
  
"Pearls" Background Set
©WrensByDesign2001
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