As we read the last four chapters of Luke, we're reminded that Jesus' time on earth is growing to a close. Just days before he had made his triumphant ride into Jerusalem as a hero. Now he knows that within the next few days he will be betrayed by one of his own. That had to be absolutely heart breaking. Knowing how events were going to unfold, a lesser man would have run for the hills. And in the Garden of Gethsemane, we do learn that Jesus asked his Father to let this cup pass from him. But then he adds on those little words that we sometimes forget to include in our prayers. "Thy will be done."
I'm getting ahead of myself though. When reading the story about the widow who gives her last coin, I'm always left with a sense of admiration, and a feeling of comfort and contentedness. There may be others in my life that are able to give much more - monetarily speaking - to God's family than I am. And I have to admit, that sometimes I feel a little bad that I'm not able to give more. But then I'm reminded that God looks not only to the value of the objects we're giving him, but the value of our attitude as we're giving them to him.
I'm reminded of a story that I've heard many times over the year. It's about a little girl who has a beautiful set of artificial pearls. She loves that necklace and wears it every day. At night, when it's time for bed, her daddy comes in to say good night and tuck her in. They talk about the day, say their prayers together, and share "I love yous" as the day draws to a close. But every night daddy ends by asking the same question "Pumkin, would you give me your pearls? I know you love them, but I'd like to have them.". The little girl always answers the same way. "Daddy, you know I love you, but I really love my pearls too. Wouldn't you like to have my teddy bear or my dolly instead?". Daddy just pasts her hands and says, "No honey, that's alright, I'll just keep a picture of you in my heart.". With that he turns off the light, and leaves the room.
What the little girl doesn't know is that Daddy has seen how she is with her friends and the rest of the family when it comes to those pearls. She won't share with anyone, and will even keep herself off to the side of things when the other kids are playing. When she does take those pearls off, they go in a very special place - only after a very involved ritual of polishing and admiration.
As the days and weeks go on, the little girl begins to see how her actions are affecting her family - especially her daddy. Finally one cold, snowy, winter day, she decides that she is ready to give up her pearls for her Daddy. She carefully takes them from around her neck, puts them in a blue velvet pouch and then carries them towards where her Daddy is sitting on the couch. Her eyes are brimming with tears, and if her brothers say one word, she's sure she'll lose her resolve and run back to her room. Thankfully, her brothers are in the other room finishing up their homework.
She crawls up on her Daddy's lap, gives him a big hug and says, "Daddy, you know how much I love my pearls. But I've decided that they are not nearly as lovely as you. I love you very much. I don't know what you want with my pearls, but because you want them so badly, I'm ready to give them to you.".
For a moment, all Daddy can do is look into her eyes and hold back tears. He gives her a great big hug and says, "My daughter, I love you more than you can ever imagine. And I have a surprise for you." With that, he sets her feet on the floor, gets to his feet and walks to his desk in the corner. Out of the top desk drawer, he pulls a purple velvet bag. He walks back to the couch, gathers her on his lap and hands her the pouch. "Darling, I want you to have the gift inside this pouch. I've been trying so long to give it to you, but you've had both hands full with your pearls. Now that you have let go, your hands are ready for this new gift."
He encouraged her to open the bag, and when she opened it, she found a strand of real pearls. The little girl is a little confused, and asks "Daddy, why did you wait so long? Why didn't you give up? You could have taken them from me long ago for being so selfish."
Her Daddy replied, "Honey, I wanted you to be ready to give them to me from your heart. I could have made you give them up. But now that you have willingly given them to me, I know that you truly are giving them up for the right reason."
What kind of pearls are we holding on to? Are we willing to give to Jesus with the right attitude?
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