>
>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."
>
>"Then give me your pearls."
>
>< B>"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



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