What are your pearls?

Jenny's Pearl Necklace

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. 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 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 out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores. She went to the neighbor, Mrs. McJames, and asked 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 had told her that 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 may I have 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 will you 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, Honey. 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. 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 prized necklace. With the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case. He handed the handsome velvet case to Jenny and told her, "Thank you for giving me your most prized possesion that you even saved for all by yourself. Here Honey, I have this for you also. I wanted to trade you, but I was going to give these to you tonight either way."As Jenny pryed open the blue velvet box, so nice a thing itself she'd never known, the glistening white sheen of the rich genuine pearls struck her teary eyes.

If you were to read this story again I would ask you to put your name in Jenny's place and your life in the place of the pearls with God taking the place of Jenny's dad. Girls, what I want you to get from this is that God will only take something out of your hands to give you something better. He is capable of more than we could ask or imagine (Eph.3:20). Is there something that you know God is calling you to give up? Is there something in your life that is not God's best for you? Pray for God to give you wisdom. Many people in the Bible prayed for wisdom from God and he gave it freely. What is God showing you to do right now? Whatever it is, write it down and realize that what he is showing you is how you can be a "DOer" of the word. I LOVE YOU!

God's Glory

Moses said to the LORD, "You have been telling me, 'Lead these people,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, 'I know you by name and you have found favor with me.' If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people."
The LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."
Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?"
And the LORD said to Moses, "I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name."
Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory.And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live."
--Exodus 33:12-20

What is the first thing you notice here about Moses? HE IS TALKING TO GOD. DIRECTLY! AND--what's even COOLER--GOD IS ANSWERING HIM!

So, number 1"If you talk to God, he is going to answer."

The next thing I noticed was that Moses is looking for God's approval. He wants to know that God is pleased with him, not just hear him saying. How many of you have felt like that at some point, you just want someone to give you some credit for the good thing you are doing?! I feel like that a lot of the time so I can identify with Moses here. Next, Moses says something pretty striking, which brings me to my next point. Moses says, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?"

2. Ask God to be with you always. Acknowledge that he is with you and do what you know he has called you to do. (For extra reading on how we are different from the rest of the world, check out the fruits of the sprit Galations 5:22-25 and 2 Peter 1:3-11)

Have you ever just felt alone? Like no one knew you or cared about what was going on in your life. In this verse the Lord says to Moses, "I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name." God knows you by name and he is pleased with you. Please don't lose sight of that. You have a Father in heaven who believes you are a wonderfully made masterpiece!

And the last part I want to share with you today is something I've been learning in my own life. If you ask God to show you his glory, he will. It may not be just as you expect it, but he will show you his goodness on earth.

3. Ask God to show you his glory.

I asked God that last week. I was extremely stressed and I just needed to see Him work in my life. Do you remember all of the amazing things that God has worked out for me in the past week? It blows my mind how God shows up when you ask him. You can always depend on him, if nothing else!

I LOVE YOU GIRLS! Holler @ a comment if you have any questions!

Megan

Hey girls! I hope you all had a FANTASTIC Thanksgiving! I think I ate enough to feed a small country for a year. lol I can't wait to see all of you @ Student Ministry Wednesday night. I miss you all like WHOA. So, if you need a ride, give me a holler. You know my digits! Love you
Megan

Meg's Girlz

This blog is the site for the girls in my (Megan's) small group to chat, share and help one another as they go through daily life. This is also a way for me to keep up with what is going on in the crazy lives of my crazy girls!