My Pearl Necklace

Do you have a pearl necklace hanging around in your jewelry box? If you do, I want you to get it out and try it on again. If you don’t, your imagination will do just fine. Now I would like to challenge you to look at the pearls hanging there in a new way. Let me explain.

After years of challenges, thoughts of disappointment in myself and moments of despair about the way my life had gone, I began to cry out to the Lord. I felt so defeated. I asked God if I would ever get to the place where I could really be use by Him again. I wondered because of the appearance of failure all around. I guess I had to learn these valuable lessons the hard way.

The Lord responded to my cry that day with the picture of a pearl necklace in my mind’s eye and began to speak gently to my spirit.

“You are troubled by the circumstances you have gone through in your life. Some of those circumstances were caused by your own unwise decisions and others were assignments of the enemy. But I have been with you through each and every one of them. And now I am working with you to help you see each of those lessons in a new way.

I designed this necklace especially for you. The pearls represent each situation you have experienced and overcome by My guidance and power. Just like the oyster suffers pain in growth, you have suffered pain in growth. The oyster covered his pain with something priceless. You have learned to cover your pain with something priceless as well…My Wisdom and Glory. Now I am lining up those pearls with a knot of grace between each one so that they will never fall in your lap again. As you learn to wear this necklace humble, I will use you greatly. At any given moment, I may ask you to give witness to one of the pearls. I will prompt you to explain how it came about and how I helped you through. This necklace, my child, is the key to your witness for the future.”

Over the years, I have felt like I have wasted time meditating on ‘what if’ I had made better decisions back then. Life would have been so different. Yet, I realized even if I had made wiser decisions, I would have eventually done something else that would have brought on a teachable moment for God.

I was going to go through training no matter what. If not with that decision, then there would have been another down the road shortly. We can’t avoid trouble forever. God designs our lives to be filled with instructional moments from a variety of sources because wisdom is gain in those precious times of distress.

Having this spiritual necklace reminds me that all is not lost and that God intends to use everything I go through for His glory. Even when I get off track, God makes the journey useful for me and for Him. Nothing is wasted and that brings me joy.

How about your pearls that came at a great price? Will you allow God to line them up and show you off? God is so proud of you and your accomplishments for Him, and your tenacity until the victory was won. You may feel at times that nothing ever goes right and that you have nothing to offer. Don’t despair! God is still planning on using you and your 'unseemly parts' to minister to many in the years to come. Wait and see.