Less Is More

less is more
tim pezzelle
2013-02
~~
~~
there is a sweet story you may have heard about a girl who treasures a pearl necklace that her father had given her when she was very little. the pearls, of course, were not real but the little girl treated the necklace with such care and devotion. time goes by... her father returns home after work one day and tells his daughter that he has a surprise for her. he holds out a small, beautifully wrapped package. he asks her to get her necklace and give it to him so that he can give her the present. much to her dad's surprise, when the moment comes for the trade, she can't release the faux necklace. she has become so attached to it and has so much invested in it that she simply can't let go.
~~
~~
we were sitting in our prayer circle, a group of friends who shared a love for music and a ministry to offer our gifts and talents on sunday morning. you know how these things can go.... most prayer requests are sort of generic and vague. we guard ourselves and only let a very select 1 or 2 others see our deepest need and weakness. on this night, for one person in particular, the need was overwhelming and came spilling out. we listened as our friend poured his broken heart into that safe circle.
~~
but how safe was it? as i listened to my friend tell the story, my mind betrayed my heart and a question began to grow.... "why are you here?". isn't that the height of hard-heartedness? my friend is neck deep in grief and i'm being critical of his choice to come to rehearsal. in about the amount of time it took for that cynical thought to emerge from the dark corners of my heart, God spun the question back at me..... "tim, what are you doing here?".
~~
"uhhh, God, this is my ministry.... this is what you equipped me to do for You.... what do you mean?". and the response came "tim, what are YOU doing here?". "God, i don't understand, if not here, where? what would You have me do that seems so right?". and again.... and again... and again... for the next few months... "tim, what are YOU doing here?".
~~
without knowing why, i finally resigned my position with the worship team. God ripped my heart out. going to church on sundays, watching my friends lead worship..... hearing the parts i would be playing if i was up there with them. stepping away from that ministry and those people was the hardest thing i had done to that point in my walk with God.
~~
soon, the 15 or so hours each week that was devoted to working on music became time devoted to my family. the hurt began to fade - without ever going away completely. my daughters where 16 and 13 when this transition in my life took place - that time when girls become women - and i was there. we bonded more and more in the time that followed, building a trust that was unspoken but present. time passed. bonds strengthened. love grew.
~~
and then God called sherry home.
~~
and i finally understood.
~~
the little girl, holding on so desperately to her worthless necklace had no idea that the gift her daddy was about to give her was a necklace with real pearls on a chain of real gold. every night he presented her with the choice to trade what she valued for something hidden and unknown. every night he asked her to just trust him and let go of her old treasure. she finally did. with tears in her eyes and trembling fingers, she opened the box. she took a leap of faith and was rewarded beyond her wildest dreams.
~~
a storm was coming in our lives. God saw what was headed our way and knew the changes that would be needed to weather the high winds and rolling seas. He knew the level of relationship and trust that would be needed to anchor deep. He saw a man holding on to a fake necklace and in need of real treasure. "treasure"... in ancient hebrew it translates to "strength for troubled times". makes sense, doesn't it? i couldn't imagine why God would ask me to let go of something that seemed so perfect. i couldn't understand why He would equip me and then redirect me.
~~
in God's economy, less is more. we are always being refined... or pruned... we are being prepared for what's coming next.... that thing we can't see, but He can see.
~~
less is more.... less is more... less is more.... if God is challenging you to let go, here's a thought - the gift He wants to give you is better by far than the thing you're clutching - even if you cling to something He originally gave. when He asks you to empty your hands, it's because He has something new you will need. leap. let go.
~~
less is more.