The Best Gift I Can Give...
**Updated Below 1/15/13**
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Together (with the
Bug) I have chosen a different moment to cherish. The moment we gave our ring
to help give another little girl fresh water. I sat the Bug down and showed
her the ring. I put it in her hand. She put it on her thumb and then ring finger. She oohed and ahhed over it. We
talked about how pretty it was and she said she liked it very much. Then I told
her there was a person that could use this ring to help others. They could sell it and give clean water to someone that didn't have anything safe to drink. She looked at me and then, with
maturity far beyond her years, said "we should give it to them". I
held out my hand and she placed the ring in it. I am thankful the picture
turned out because my vision was pretty blurry. Later that day we went to the post office and
put it in the mail.
The decision wasn't made quickly. I prayed and asked God what I had that I could give so that others wouldn't have to suffer. This ring kept coming to mind and after thinking and praying I decided there was a more important gift I could give my daughter than a beautiful ring to wear. Instead, I could give her the gift of modeling and teaching her what it means to truly love someone. What it means to love Jesus and what it means to love our neighbor. I know she is only 3 and doesn't fully understand what we did but I have to believe that a seed was planted deep inside that will bloom in His time.
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Sometimes you have a dream of doing something special with
someone. Sometimes you think about that day and what it would look like.
Sometimes your heart becomes overjoyed at the thought of sharing something of
value with your daughter, or a precious child. Sometimes your view on all of
the above can change quickly and drastically for the better. I am not
talking about a hypothetical situation, I am talking about a very specific moment
I was excited to experience in the future.
When I was a
teenager my parents gave me a beautiful aquamarine ring for my birthday. I
loved it. I felt like the most important girl in the world when I would wear
it. It was gold with tiny diamonds on either side of a beautifully cut stone. I
thought it was the most beautiful ring I had ever seen. It has been a long time
since I have worn the ring. It has been safely tucked away in my jewelry box.
Waiting. Waiting for my Bug. Her birthday is also a blue stone month birthday.
I have been thinking about the special day when I could give her this ring, talk to her about its significance and have it represent a covenant between us.
I've pictured her face when I pull out this ring that has been so special to
me and I give it to her to wear and keep as her very own. What a special
bonding moment for mother and daughter, the start of a new family tradition.
But now that isn't
going to happen, at least not in the way I had originally thought.
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Together (with the
Bug) I have chosen a different moment to cherish. The moment we gave our ring
to help give another little girl fresh water. I sat the Bug down and showed
her the ring. I put it in her hand. She put it on her thumb and then ring finger. She oohed and ahhed over it. We
talked about how pretty it was and she said she liked it very much. Then I told
her there was a person that could use this ring to help others. They could sell it and give clean water to someone that didn't have anything safe to drink. She looked at me and then, with
maturity far beyond her years, said "we should give it to them". I
held out my hand and she placed the ring in it. I am thankful the picture
turned out because my vision was pretty blurry. Later that day we went to the post office and
put it in the mail..jpg)
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The decision wasn't made quickly. I prayed and asked God what I had that I could give so that others wouldn't have to suffer. This ring kept coming to mind and after thinking and praying I decided there was a more important gift I could give my daughter than a beautiful ring to wear. Instead, I could give her the gift of modeling and teaching her what it means to truly love someone. What it means to love Jesus and what it means to love our neighbor. I know she is only 3 and doesn't fully understand what we did but I have to believe that a seed was planted deep inside that will bloom in His time.
I want my Bug to
know that Jesus is a treasure so great that He is worth giving everything we
have. I didn't want this beautiful ring to sit in a jewelry box for
another 10 years when children just like mine are dying from a lack of clean water.
The day will come when she is older and together we will go choose a ring
for her to wear as a physical reminder that she is called to live a life that
glorifies God with her heart, her soul, her mind and her body. Now, I am also excited that in those special moments I can also show her pictures of her perfect little hands holding this ring and tell her
the story of giving it to Jesus together.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Matthew 13:44
I love you Bug, Mommy
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If you want to know more about radical giving go to www.withthisring.org, you won't be sorry!
Update 1/15/13: I heard back from With This Ring. They said that the jeweler appraised the ring and that it appraised for enough to provide water for 7 children!! You may not think that is very much, when truly there are so many little ones that need water, but for those 7 it is the difference between life and death. Will you join me? Imagine what we could do if we all gave?!
Update 1/15/13: I heard back from With This Ring. They said that the jeweler appraised the ring and that it appraised for enough to provide water for 7 children!! You may not think that is very much, when truly there are so many little ones that need water, but for those 7 it is the difference between life and death. Will you join me? Imagine what we could do if we all gave?!
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