The necklace

Little Tiffany loved to dress up, and she had her eyes on a necklace she saw in the jewellery store. It was a child’s necklace and was only 5 Euros, but she only had some change to buy it. So her mother asked her to do some chores for her and start saving. She even encouraged her to go and help some neighbors with raking leaves and other easy errands. Within a month she had collected 5 Euros and 40 cents. And she went happily with her mother to buy the green necklace. Tiffany was in seventh heaven wearing the necklace. She took it off only to take a bath and sleep. Her father observed the whole story and one evening, before tucking in bed little Tiffany and reading a story as usual, he asked her ‘Tiff, do you love me?’ ‘Yes of course dad!’ Dad then asked her ‘then can you give me your necklace?’ ‘Oh no dad, how about I’ll give you the blanket instead, but not my necklace!’ Dad let it go, but a few days later he asked her again. This time she said to him ‘dad, this cost me 5 Euros and I love to wear it....how about you take some of my books.’ ‘No, that’s OK honey, go to sleep.’ A week later, dad was tucking Tiffany again at night and again, ‘Tiffany do you really love me?’ ‘Of course dad.’ ‘Then can I have the necklace.’ She almost started to cry, and suggested he could take her roller-skates.’ Of course he said no. Finally, some weeks later he asked her again ‘Tiff, do you really, really love your dad?’ ‘And with tears trickling down her cheeks she said ‘Yes dad, I really love you.’ And again for the last time ‘then can you give me your necklace?’ Sobbing Tiffany answered ‘yes you can have it.’ So dad took Tiffany’s necklace and slipped it into his pocket as she eyed her precious charm disappear with utter disappointment. Then dad knelt next to his daughter and gave her a velvet blue-covered box. In it was a necklace with real genuine pearls. He waited until she could part from her little treasure so that he could gave her a much more expensive and genuine necklace she would wear for the rest of her life. You know that God works the same with us. He  wants us to part from things that have no value, so that He can give us treasures that are invaluable and priceless. And ask yourself if your life is attached to some vice, habit, something artificial or even a bad relationship, some fear or ambition that you can really do without. And let God take control of your life.