Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions."
For Christmas one year, my husband, Danny, surprises me with a gorgeous set of diamond earrings. I am beside myself. With the exception of my wedding and engagement rings, I've never owned such luxurious jewelry.
And, I can't wait for an opportunity to wear them.
But, wait, I do.
They are too fancy to wear to school. Too elegant for every day wear.
So, day after day, they sit in their white satin box. In my jewelry case.
Waiting to be worn.
Waiting . . .
At long last, a suitable occasion arises. A formal one.
Where I will rub elbows with old college classmates I haven't seen in decades.
Perfect!
I attend the function, sparkly earrings and all.
Not one person notices. No compliments. No acknowledgements.
And, I leave there feeling just a bit peeved.
It is several hours after I get home. I decide it's time to put my beautiful earrings back in their case.
Oh, horror!!! One is missing!!!
I panic. Trace and retrace every step I've taken in the house and our deck. Comb through every inch of my car.
Nothing . . .
I am heart-broken. I don't have the nerve to tell Danny.
Because, more, much more hurtful to me than losing the earring will be seeing his crestfallen expression. I cannot bear the thought . . .
As I lie in bed, silent tears flowing, I hear the truth.
You didn't wear them for the right reason. You wore them to be noticed. You were showing off. You were prideful.
"Father, you are right," I whisper. "Please, forgive me."
I sleep fitfully through the night. No joy comes in the morning.
Discouraged and disheartened, I take my first cup of coffee out to the deck to allow it and the fresh air of dawn sweep away the cobwebs.
A sparkle catches my eye. I do a double-take.
There is is! My earring! Right where I searched, I think, so diligently the night before.
Glinting in all its glory.
A miracle . . .
"Thank You, my Lord and my God . . ."
~
Has the sin of pride ever caused you to stumble?
Please join me in prayer:
Remind us, Father, that we are not defined by our possessions. Do not let them become the stumbling blocks that separate us from You. Help us to realize that simply being Your child is all the treasure we will ever need in this life. Amen.
Readings
Psalms 93, 96 or 34
Leviticus 25:1-17
James 1:2-8, 16-18
Luke 12:13-21
You wore them to be noticed, and no one noticed, no compliments, no acknowledgment...LOL!
ReplyDeleteI would think to myself, "maybe someone noticed but is too jealous to say anything." ;)
Ooh, Luchi, I wonder if that was the case? Still, this was a very humbling experience for me and I learned a powerful lesson.
DeleteThanks so much for stopping by!
Blessings!
even earings can give glory to God!
ReplyDeletehappy Mothers Day!
Thanks for stopping by, Annmarie!
DeleteYes, isn't it amazing how the smallest things can reflect the glory of God when we least expect it.
A very happy Mothers' Day to you, too!
Blessings!
You consistently hit the nail on the head. Thanks for your continued insights into our flawed existence. We shall try again tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for stopping by and for you kind compliments.
DeleteYes, tomorrow is always another day! :)
Blessings!
Martha! I was smiling and laughing as I read this. I have definitely had moments like this when I wanted to show off and guess what? No one noticed me either. But, when I run out quickly to the store with bedhead and not having washed my face is when all the compliments come. I love this post. We are a treasure just as we are. Just lovely! :-)
ReplyDeletehttp://lyricfire.typepad.com/lyric-fire/2012/05/shades-of-green-and-gray-embracing-challenges-to-become-a-better-artist.html
Thank you, Tameka, for stopping by. So glad you could identify with this post today. And, isn't it ironic how compliments come when we least expect them, not when we most want them. :)
DeleteYes, so good to know we are treasured just as we are!
Blessings!
HA!! Well I can relate to this article, I dress to impress and show off a new piece of jewelry, blouse or shoes. Not one person noticed the "new" but let me step out of the house with a simple t-shirt and shorts, with my hair in a ponytail. I tell ya I run into friends I almost forget I had then. (a figure of speech)and they all notice.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's because that's how they picture me, all relax and simple.
Wow, Debbie, your experience sounds just like Tameka's!
DeleteOur real friends don't like us for how we can impress them; they like the REAL person beneath the glitter and glam. Being relaxed and simple are wonderful traits!
Thanks so much for coming by!
Blessings!
Haha. You sound so much like my mother (oh, and happy Mother's day, by the way). I know for sure that she'd definitely panic if that happened to her. I'm glad you found the other earring afterward, though. Be careful!!
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful week!
M.
Thanks so much for stopping by, Dave, and for the Mothers' Day wishes!
DeleteOh, yes, your mom certainly sounds like me and probably lots of other women who "lose" an expensive piece of jewelry. Believe me, I, too, as SO glad I found it or, rather, it found me. :)
Blessings!
I loved it Martha!!! Thank you for sharing this with us. I didn't really experience that because in my nature, I try to be as discrete as possible, and don't like to be noticed, but It is such a great lesson that I can teach my children!!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you dropped by today, Nikki, and that you enjoyed the post! And, I'm especially gratified to know that you can use this as a positive lesson with your children. The sin of pride is probably one of the most common and one I have struggled with. That's why I felt compelled to share this message.
DeleteBlessings to you!
Ooo will you look at that. LOL! There are so many moments in my life that I did act that way. Some possessions would not only include jewelry but also titles/degree of education, experiences from another country, a foreign language I could fluently speak, books I own...and the list goes on.
ReplyDeleteMost of the times, I seek attention and I use these 'things' superficially. I realized that I am me because of God not because of anything else.
I pray with you, I could boast of nothing because everything comes from God except the sins that I commit.
May God forgive this pride and selfishness.
I learned a lot from this post Martha :) Thank you!
Thanks so much for stopping by, Melissa!
DeleteI'm glad you learned a lot from this post; I learned so much from this experience! I think we all suffer from the sins of pride and selfishness. These are two things I have to continually work on and ask God's forgiveness when I let either one rear its ugly head.
Thank you for praying with me - let us ever boast in God alone!
Blessings, my friend!
numpang baca-baca cari ilmu dan pengetahuan sambil silaturahmi, salam sehat.
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting, Desa.
DeleteI apologize, but the only language I know fluently is English, so could not understand your post.
Blessings!
Lovely post Martha.... this happens to me also sometimes. I take special pains to get noticed and I am not and there are occassions when I just manage to get there somehow when I am showered with compliments. Weird ways...
ReplyDeleteAMEN to your prayers...I learnt a very important lesson today. Thanks to you!
Thanks so much for stopping by, Privy!
DeleteYou are the third person here to leave this same type of comment - I find it so ironic that we get the most compliments when we're not even trying. :)
Glad you learned a lesson here. I know I sure did through this experience.
Blessings!
Learning humility was one of the toughest things I ever had to learn, retraining the brain from attention and pats on the back to doing the work for works sake. I have never worried materialistically if people noticed, but for a very long time I wanted kudos for doing as I should anyway. Great post...<3
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for popping in today, Jan!
DeleteWe all want to be noticed and appreciated, don't we? I know I do. However, it's that sin of pride which looks for more accolades than are appropriate and keeps us from simply doing, with gratitude, the works God has given us to do.
You are doing a marvelous job with what you have been given, my friend!
Blessings to you and yours!
How often we succumb to sin of pride Martha, especially with our outward appearance. This is a good lesson that you have shared today. God bless you
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for visiting, Rimly!
DeleteI think the sins of pride and greed rank right up there with the worst of them. So, so tempting!
Glad you liked this lesson.
Blessings to you, too! :)
Oh I know how disappointing that can be! I did that--dressed up and wore fancy jewelry just to get attention. Sometimes I got the attention I wanted, sometimes I did not. And when I did not, it felt like an epic failure. Yes, I'm that shallow. But it's those times when I did not receive the attention that I thought I deserved that taught me about humility. I am also keeping in my heart the words of the Litany Of Humility because pride is so tempting.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'll have to agree with everyone--it's when I don't try so hard that I get more compliments!
Thank you so much for reminding me to be humble and not to give in to pride, Martha! God bless <3 :-)
Thanks, Irene, for stopping by today!
DeleteYou're not shallow, my dear; we ALL fall into the trap of pride at some time or another in our lives and we do need to learn that lesson in humility.
As I'm not Catholic, I'm not familiar with the Litany of Humility. I will be sure to look this up. Sounds like one I could be saying daily. :)
We do have to remember that God loves us, fancy or messy, just the way we are.
Blessings to you!