Pearly

Once upon a time, before men discovered how pearls were made, they were rare, hard to come by, and costly.

In the Bible, Jesus compared the Kingdom of God to a pearl (of great price) in the gospels.
He, too, is the pearl of great price.
Worth searching for.
Worth searching out.

I have a pearl.
God gave one to me.

Yesterday she worked, feeding the homeless.

I would much rather she had been here »»with me«« and that today we were out  shopping… perhaps taking the time to splurge on a frozen chocolatey  indulgence from Starbucks, (who am I kidding…Definitely is more like it.).

I remember when she was an infant and God made it clear to me that while she was lent to me, she really belonged to Him.

I consider Pharoah’s daughter, who lifted Moses from the Nile, and I wonder if she realized she would be entrusted with his care, but that he would not always be with her.

I think of Hannah, who promised the Lord outright, “If you give me a child, I will give him back to you.”, and how, when she kept her promise, God blessed her with even more children, as well as with the ability to raise them well.

How did she do it?
How did Hannah give that firstborn of her womb away to live in God’s temple?
How did she give up being his teacher, and surrender that honor, that privilege, to another?

Of course Eli was more equipped to train Samuel in spiritual things…being High Priest is no small thing…but Samuel was so young and Hannah was his Mother.
“A child needs their mother.”, I would think to myself.

But Hannah… I know why you did it now.

I know why you surrendered Samuel to Eli’s care and keeping.

You had done all you could to equip him.
It was time for another to take over – to take him further on the journey God had already mapped out for his life.

I understand why and I also know how.
There is no choice but surrender when a mother wants what’s best for her child.
God’s will.

Sometimes I look down at my abdomen and try to comprehend the fact that from my own kangaroo pouch, such a lovely thing as Sonja came to be.

It is during those moments when I feel like the wealthiest woman in the world.

I know now, that I am Pharaoh’s daughter.
I know that I am Hannah.
I know now, how they did it.
And I know how much it hurt.

Yet I am blessed.
We are blessed, mommies, for I am not the only one…

We have all come to that place where we know we have done all we were equipped to do, and had to pass the baton onto someone else to train our children in their life’s calling, even if it was so far away.

We’ve been given pearls.
Each of us.

And it is not for us to clutch them tightly in our fists, for who, then, would be blessed by their lustrous beauty?

No…
Pearls are meant to be displayed.
They are meant to be enjoyed by many.
God creates fine settings of platinum, gold, and silver, and He sets them where He pleases.

Our role, is to care for them for a season.
And when He comes to us and extends his hand toward us, it is not for us to clutch them more tightly in our grip, stubbornly shaking our heads no because its just too soon…

It is for us to extend our own hand in response, and allow him to gently open our fingers, and take back what was His to begin with.

Blessings…
Leah