The Pearl Necklace (story)

The following story was told in church on Sunday. I really love it. I can relate so much. It can be so hard to sacrifice what we want so much for what God wants for us. But, when we do, He gives us something far far greater than what we had before.

The Pearl Necklace (Author Unknown)

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 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 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 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.  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.

Comparison

"Comparison is the thief of joy." -Theodore Roosevelt.

How true it is. There is always going to be someone skinnier, smarter, prettier, etc. If we focus on that, it gets depressing.

We each have something unique to offer. Sometimes others don't see that in us, unfortunately, but what matters is how God sees us.

Let Him In

This Christmas has been really special for me. I guess it has just felt more "Christmasy" than the past couple of years. Why is this? Because I made a choice to make it special. (Lately I've been thinking about the power we have to chose- to act and not be acted upon.)

I've listened to Christmas music nonstop, watched several Christmas movies, seen Christmas lights at several places. But, most importantly, I've been thinking a lot about Christ.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell said, "Each of us is an innkeeper who decides if there is room for Jesus." 

It makes me think of the painting where Christ is knocking on the door. 

We have to chose to let Him in to our lives and our hearts. He is always there for us, waiting for us to come to Him.

I am so thankful our Savior came to this earth and was willing to suffer and die for me. I can be forgiven of my sins because of Him. I can find peace through Him because He's been through what I've been through and felt what I've felt.

Prayer

I was reading in the Book of Mormon last night, Mosiah chapter 24. There are so many good things I drew from that chapter.

One verse in particular stood out to me:
 "And it came to pass that so great were their afflictions that they began to cry mightily to God." (verse 5)

How true it is. When we're going through great afflictions we "cry" unto God. At least, I do.

I think our times of greatest prayer are definitely times when we are facing hard trials. I am reminded of a quote by Abraham Lincoln: “I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had no where else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.” I can say I've definitely felt that way. There have been many times I've cried "mightily unto God" as I've realized how weak I am and how dependent I am upon Him.

Prayer is such a wonderful tool we have to help us through this life.

Changing

I was thinking about change/repentance/becoming better today. I had this grand (not really) 

realization/reminder. In order to truly change, one's desire to change must be greater than the desire to remain where they are.

So many of us like our sins (whatever they may be. We all sin in one way or another). We want to stop sinning, but at the same time we don't. It isn't until we're willing to put off the natural man that we can become better. We have to decide what we love greater- our sins or our Father. 

Mosiah 3:19 states, "For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticing a of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ The Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which The Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father." 

A lot to think about there. Changing ourselves is hard. But we won't change unless we deliberately decide to and have the desire to do all that is required to bring about that change.

He's There. He's Real.

The other night I spent some quiet time on the balcony of my apartment. I sat there looking up at the bright moon and the shining stars. I thought of God. How He is so real. There is no way He couldn't be. I thought of His plan. There's no way there couldn't be a plan.

I thought of me. There I was sitting on a balcony in Glendale, Arizona. How did I end up here? It must be part of His greater plan.

And that led me to remember that He does have a plan. I am His daughter. While I struggle at times to understand the whys of His plan for my life, I am grateful for opportunity I have had to grow close to Him. My trials have helped me to realize how dependent I am upon Him. I am nothing without Him. I'd be so alone if I didn't have God in my life.

I know He is real.

Remember Who You Are

Came across this poem today. I love it. In this crazy world we live in, it is so easy to remember everything we are not. But, I've realized more and more lately that that's exactly what satan wants. Don't give in. Our Father in Heaven, who created us and loves us, wants us to remember who we really are.

This Christmas

"This Christmas, mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love and then speak it again.  

Christmas is a celebration, and there is no celebration that compares with the realization of its true meaning—with the sudden stirring of the heart that has extended itself unselfishly in the things that matter most. ^"  -Howard W. Hunter