~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 "The Necklace"
A cheerful little girl named Jenny, with bouncy golden curls was almost five.
She was waiting with her mother at the checkout stand,
when 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 into the pleading blue eyes
of her little girls 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
piggy bank and counted 17 pennies. After dinner
she did more than her share of chores and she
also 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.

Her mother had told her 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 daddy, 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
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.


Joyfully, In The Master's Service,
Pastor Pat Aman
Scripture: The NIV
Story: Author Unknown
Quote: Pastor Pat Aman

(Nehemiah 8:10)
"The Joy Of The Lord, Is Your Strength."

(Proverbs 17:22)
"A Merry Heart Does Good, Like Medicine, But A Broken Spirit Dries The Bones."
 

BACK TO DEVOTION PAGE

The Joy Of The Lord Is My Strength

Laughter Is Good For The Soul