Godly Gals ~ Amy Waddell
Carolina Girls Love Their Flip Flops and Pearls…
By: Amy Waddell
44Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
45Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
46Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
Matthew 13:44-46 (King James Version)
There’s a t-shirt out right now with the phrase “Carolina Girls Wear Flip Flops and Pearls.” My daughter Emily-Catherine wears the shirt all the time and the Lord used that shirt to bring to my attention some things about myself. Every time I see the shirt He says to me…”You “just think” you have need of so many things, when it boils down to it…the pearl you need is the scripture.
The thing you need for daily fulfillment is to dig and find the pearl for the day.” He began to show me I need to train my mind to think “This Carolina Girl”…loves her flip flops, loves her things…but the thing I love the most…I desire the most….is that pearl (His Word). Not only do I need it, but it is that treasure that he created for me to find. For true joy and fulfillment I have to have it.
We’re spoiled aren’t we? Have you needed Him today enough to dig for a scripture to meet a need that you had. Think about the pearl for a minute; it’s a hidden treasure that someone has to work to find. Somebody had to dig for it, sweat for it, sacrifice time or energy for it. Somebody had to suffer disappointment for it opening many oyster shells that were empty before they found the treasure.
Sometimes we’re just going to have to dig to find just the right word for us for that moment, for that day, for that need. It takes effort. Sometimes we have to wait. Some pearls are imitations…we don’t guard those or protect them like the real pearl.
My time with the Lord…priceless and I have to train myself to guard that treasure hunt, to value it, to protect it from all those imitations that want to steal my time.
Read through the verses in Mathew again, Think about the priceless pearl. The costly one, the jewel …the one worked for. “Do you own a strand of real pearls?” A necklace or maybe a pair of earrings…think about the woman who received her pearls as a wedding gift from her husband 40 years ago, a priceless treasure to appreciate. Who wants a strand of real pearls? We all do…we desire to have that thing that is precious and valuable. Worth the wait.
Well guess what?! He puts a REAL pearl in His Word for us everyday and He’s waiting on us to desire it …to dig for it.
He wants to the pleasure of watching you find it and treasure it.
He desires to give it you.
Some of us will never have an earthly strand of pearls, but in His word, there’s a strand waiting just for you.
The man in Mathew joyfully sold all he had for the pearl; it was worth that much to him.
Who Am I…My name is Amy Waddell, a Senior Pastors wife…married to my high school sweet heart and best friend. We have served joyfully together in fulltime ministry for eight years. We have three incredible and very active teenagers. One of the greatest joys of my life is serving as Women’s Ministry Director in our Church. My mission field and life’s work is in the public school system as a High School Teacher. My students are jewels and I love them with all my heart…
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Thank you so much Amy for sharing your pearls of wisdom with us…I just love your passion for Him and your heart to share Him with others!
What a blessing it is to share these sweet Godly Gals with you each and every week…they’ve inspired, challenged, nudged and certainly blessed us all, haven’t they?
I’m scheduling our Godly Gals for June/July right now, so if you are interested in finding out how to be a part of the Godly Gals team then send me an email at melsworldministry {at} gmail {dot} com for a copy of the Submission Guidelines.
I’m looking forward to hearing from you…
