I got one of those sweet stories in my email today which I will share at the bottom of this post so that if you don’t want to read it, you don’t have to. The question was asked, “Are you holding onto things that God wants you to let go of?” And wow, did that hit me where I sat. Mr. Moose looked at me weird the other day when we had that great talk and I mentioned the whole thing about knowing I should let go and let God as far as a baby goes, but that I wasn’t ready to yet. I know I’m making it more difficult than it needs to be in the spiritual sense. But knowing and doing are two different things. This is something I know I struggle with. But I also believe I’m not standing in God’s way. If He wants me to be pregnant, whether I’m obsessing or not, I will get pregnant. I don’t believe He chooses to teach us a lesson at every turn. Sometimes He showers us with gifts and sometimes He patiently teaches us.
Yesterday I stayed home from work. Mr. Moose was given a project that he needed to concentrate on, so he was allowed to work from home. He was all excited to share this with me and so I asked him “do you want me to stay home, too or will I be too much of a distraction?” We went back and forth until I decided (shortly after the alarm went off yesterday) to go ahead and stay home and get some stuff done around the house. And boy did I! I got tons of stuff done, watched some TV for fun (Veronica Mars) and even took a nap.
My sister should be in the same state as me for the first time since my wedding 2 years ago. I haven’t talked to her yet (her in law’s are very greedy), but I hope to soon.
Okay, so here’s my sweet story from the email. Enjoy!
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.
"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."
*"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.
Isn't God good? Are you holding onto things that God wants you to let go
of? Are you holding on to harmful or unnecessary partners, relationships,
habits and activities that 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.*
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