“Would you sell me your necklace?”
“Excuse me?”
My friend and I were walking through a very popular beach in Honolulu. The woman who approached us was an obvious tourist with a thick Southern drawl. She pointed at the shell necklace around my friend’s neck.
“Isn’t that a puka shell necklace? Everywhere I go, they tell me they are sold out. Would you sell me yours?
Growing up in Hawaii, puka shell necklaces first became popular in the late 1960’s and the early 1970’s. Puka is the Hawaiian word for hole. A true puka shell is a small seashell that has a naturally forming hole. Here is an example.
White Natural Puka Shells 50 Pcs 610/810/1214 Mm | Etsy
When I was growing up, the craze began in Hawaii and soon caught on with the tourists. There were stories for some of these necklaces going for several hundred dollars, an outrageously high price for such a simple ornament. An experience that my friend and I encountered was not unusual. Demand exceeded supply and many locals in Hawaii began scouring the beaches for puka shells to make their own necklaces. My friend’s father had an old dental drill which he used to make small holes in shells that did not normally have a hole. Thus, he made his own puka shells which he would then string together and sell for a handsome profit. The craze died down as all fads do. However, after all these years, puka shells have apparently made a comeback.
Puka Shell Necklace Chunky 10mm White Round Hawaiian Natural | Etsy
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if strangers could look at us and when they realize we are Christians, they would want us to stop and share our faith with them? Like the puka shell necklace, they would know we possess something so valuable that they too would want it. Some people wear a Cross which may identify them as Christians. However, many people wear Crosses and do not always profess to be a follower of Jesus Christ. The Bible provides a more profound and lasting way to identify one as a Christian.
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.
Galatians 5:22-25 (NLT)
Christians have the Holy Spirit indwelling within them. God is controlling us, if we allow Him. When we yield to Him by faith, the fruits of the Spirit, as the Apostle Paul outlined in the passage above, become evident in our lives. It takes time but God promises to conform and transform us into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ, when we accept Him as our Lord and Savior. Soon, others will see the results and God will use your life to convict them.
Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.
1 Peter 2:12 (NLT)
As the great Christian apologist and author, C.S. Lewis, wrote, “Don’t shine so that others can see you. Shine so that through you others can see Him.”
Amen!
Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.
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