Pop Beads or Pearls

Lawrence took the day off to work on his grad school classes that are both finishing this week.  With two finals, multiple projects, and lots of essays and papers to write, he just needed the whole day to get everything done!  Ironically enough, he won't be with his students on National Teacher's Day!

He left early this morning to write out his sub plans, and when he came back, we were all playing outside.  Even the daycare boys were excited to see him, running out to greet him and shouting right along with  Coralyn and Kellah, "Daddy!  Daddy!"

Kellah ran full speed to greet her Daddy, arms waving in the air, already wanting to be picked up before she even got to him.

Coralyn, on the other hand, had just gotten her turn on the much sought after tricycle.  She was torn.  She wanted to run and hug her daddy, but she didn't want to give up the bike.  And so she did her best to have the best of both worlds, she drug the bike behind her, making sure no one else would snatch it up in the few seconds it took her to hug Lawrence.

As I watched my child cling to her toy in fear of losing it instead of running full speed ahead to greet her daddy like her carefree little sister had done, God spoke to MY heart.

He whispered in my ear, "Oh my dear child, you do the same thing."

I hung my head, ashamed to admit I do.

How often do I want to hold onto the things of this world instead of fully surrendering everything so that I can  pursue my Jesus with every fiber of my being?

How often do I cling to "stuff" that seems so precious at the time, when in reality I am losing on on that which is the most valuable thing in the universe -- time with my Heavenly Father?

How dare I try to keep my toys and fear losing them when I am sacrificing something far, far, far greater?!  How that must hurt my Daddy's feelings!

I don't know if Lawrence noticed Coralyn pulling the bike behind her on the way to greet him or not.  But I did.  God didn't let that little act go unnoticed.  He had to use it to teach ME a lesson.  An important one.  One I must not soon forget!

As I sat down to write this blog post and tried to come up with a catchy title, the story "Pop Beads and Pearls" immediately came to mind.  I first heard this story back in high school on a missions trip in North Carolina.  We were at the Wycliffe JAARS (Jungle Aviation and Radio Service) headquarters and participating in Jungle Jump Off program.  Every day we got to see and experience a new aspect of missions.  On this particular day, we watched several short videos, one of them telling a story about a little girl and her father.

I believe they were a rather poor family.  The father had to go away for a trip or something, but before he left, he gave his daughter a string of pop beads -- colorful plastic beads that snap together to form a necklace or bracelet.  The girl treasured this gift, holding it close to her chest and hugging it tight.  Every day, she would play with the pop beads and remember her daddy.  Not only were they her favorite toy, they were her most precious possession of all.

One day, the father returned from his trip.  As soon as she saw her daddy, the little girl ran to greet him with a hug and kiss.  Almost immediately, he asked her to go get her pop beads, which she did.  Then, he asked her to give him the necklace.  She couldn't.  She didn't understand.  So, instead, she clung to them, pulling back from her daddy, startled at his request.  She tried to hide the pop beads behind her back, holding them so tightly her fists began to turn white.

The father didn't force his daughter to give up her precious pop beads.  He didn't try to grab for them.  Instead, he kindly asked her again to give him the necklace.  To trust him.  Finally, at long last, the little girl looked into her daddy's eyes, full of love, and hesitantly surrendered her plastic necklace.  In its place, the father gently placed a string of beautiful REAL pearls.

You see, he couldn't give her the pearl necklace until she gave up her plastic pop bead one.

The same is true with us, as sons and daughters of the Heavenly Father.  He longs for us to give everything to Him, not to be mean or take away everything important to us or ruin our lives.  Oh no, quite the opposite!  Just like the father in the story, He wants to give us something in return, something FAR more valuable and precious than anything we could have on our own.  Whatever we are holding onto is like the girl's plastic pop beads in comparison to the things God has in store for us, if we will just trust Him and let go of everything in this world.  In return, we get something even better than a pearl necklace!  We get eternal life, that starts NOW!  We get to spend each and every day in God's very presence, talking with Him and letting Him take care of every single need we have.  We can be filled with peace and joy and hope unimaginable.  Nothing the world has to offer -- money, cars, houses, clothes, prestigious jobs, jewelry, or anything else man/woman may value -- comes anywhere close to what God has for us!

It's been quite some time since I heard that story, but it still remains deep in my heart.  God bright it to the surface this morning as I watched my own little girl hold tightly to a silly tricycle instead of running full speed ahead to greet her daddy.  May I learn from my daughter and not make the same mistake in my relationship with my Heavenly Father!