beach lessons
Each year, we go to St. Pete Beach with Mike’s brother and his family. It’s one of my favorite weekends each year.
Now, sure, while I was holding Eliza in the water, a wave knocked me over, and I scraped both shins on the shells on the ocean floor. And yeah, a jellyfish stung me (or a fish bit me, depending upon who you ask). And yes, despite Bullfrog SPF 70, I’m burned a shocking shade of red.
But I am a happy scraped, stung, burned girl.
It’s no secret that the lessons I learn at the beach are all about God. I can’t help but see Him there. I can’t decide if that’s because the His workmanship is on such display there or if it’s just the one place where I’m not able to worry much about work and where I’m completely at peace. Probably the latter.
But I sit on the sand and hold shells in my hand and am amazed by the detail on each one. The lines and the colors and the designs. We were collecting shells for Eliza and Hannah to use in a craft project, and Mike asked me if I only wanted the perfect ones.
I told him that I usually start only picking up the perfect ones, but then I find one that’s really pretty but has a crack in it. Or one of that has the remains of other shells on it. Or a tiny piece of what was clearly a much larger shell. And I remember that God doesn’t just keep the perfect people. He wants all of us, cracks and broken pieces and all. Most of the time, it’s those of us who are cracked and broken who need love most of all.
So I’ve got a bucket full of imperfect and perfectly lovely shells. And I’ve got a renewed sense of gratitude that God loves me regardless of the myriad of imperfections.
And that seems like a reminder that is well worth the scrapes and the sting and the burn.
Filed under Faith | Permalink |Tagged with: beach • Faith • God • shells
5 Responses to “beach lessons”
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AWESOME POST!!! You are so right. Now, if I could just have a lovely beach weekend to reflect on it!
Love you! Love your imperfections!
There’s a “procrastinated all week long before Chapel speaking day” sermon in your beach moment somewhere.
Of course there is.
Thank you! You’re so sweet to me!
That’s beautifully written!
Christy
Why, thank you.