My six-year-old daughter looked down at her beloved stuffed bunny, the one she’d dragged everywhere since she was born. Then she glanced longingly at the gated-off staircase leading up to the unknown.
After an interesting discussion about where pearls come from, I’d had an idea. I dashed off for a moment, then returned to tell her there was a special surprise for her, hidden upstairs. She could have this treasure for keeps… if she gave me her favorite stuffed animal in return.
It was not an easy choice. Did it make sense to trade what was known and loved for something mysterious? But the gleam in my eye told her she could trust me, and that’s what tipped the scales. She handed over her bunny and raced up the stairs.
This girl who loves trinkets and treasures and everything sparkly was on the treasure hunt of her life. What she found was a Bible laying open on her pillow. There on the open page sat a real pearl. She has always loved to wear my jewelry but never gets to wear the really special pieces. Now this pearl, taken from the set of earrings her father gave me for our first anniversary, was hers to keep. She wasn’t disappointed.
We sat together and read the story of the Pearl of Great Price in Matthew 13. We talked about Jesus and his kingdom and how he is the most valuable and fulfilling treasure we could ever receive, worth anything we might give to get it.
It was a costly exchange for both of us that day, as is the exchange we make with God. In Christ, he offers us unfathomable treasures: redemption, salvation, eternal life, his very self, and so much more besides. In order for God to give us these riches, it cost him his Son. In order for us to take hold of it, we must be willing to offer to him everything we have in return.
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
Jim Elliot
It’s no small thing to offer Jesus our everything, our anything. But he deserves it. He is worth it. And he is trustworthy. In the end, that’s all it takes: trust.
I gave my daughter back her bunny, of course, and she gets to keep the pearl, too. She was right to trust me, even with the thing she valued most. Her sisters made the same choice she did, when it was their turn, and each keeps her pearl in a special place, taking it out to look at regularly, amazed to have received something precious and real, and reminded both of the immeasurable treasure she has in Jesus and of how deeply she is treasured by him.
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
-Matthew 6:33
Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
-Psalm 73:25-26
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
-Matthew 6:21
But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”
-Philippians 3:7-8
This is so beautiful – my favorite parable! And an idea I just might have to steal with my own girls. Thanks Jen for making the gospel practical and for your passion for Jesus!
Thanks, Betsy. I hope it helps the meaning of the parable come alive to your kids! I read once about a practical demonstration of manna in the desert that Sally Clarkson set up for her kids, and since then we’ve done a couple little hands-on experiences of our own. It’s so much fun!