Shells in the Sand

Standing on the sand at Sand Bridge Beach in Virginia, I was searching for shells the waves deposited in the sand as they rhythmically moved back into the Atlantic Ocean. Living in land-locked Iowa, I like to collect just a few shells every time I get to the beach. At home they are in small dishes and jars reminding me of a beautiful day at the beach and of the ocean, which always makes me think of God’s great love for us. It never stops. The waves are always washing the sand, and it goes on forever.

Of course I wanted to find whole, perfect shells, but most of what was washing up were fragments with chips in them. Sometimes a shell would look perfect and whole in the sand, but when I picked it up and examined it, I could see the broken parts.

As I thought about those shell fragments, I realized that we are a bit like that, too. Embedded in our own lives, the part of us that people see often appears to be perfect. We are not showing the broken places in our lives to the casual observer. And finding an unbroken shell is like finding a person who has never endured a struggle – the pounding of the ocean currents and the dragging in the sand. Our struggles may not look at all like the sea, but they can wash over us, wear us and break us just the same.

Shell fragments found on the beach

But even the broken shells I found were pretty, often showing colors I didn’t see in the whole shells. Many of the shell fragments I picked up had no sharp edges, as the jagged breaks had been smoothed by the relentless waves.

Maybe we are all a little like a broken shell. We have had some struggles and difficult times in life. Like shell fragments, I really do want my sharp edges to be smoothed and my true colors to shine through.

Very few unbroken whole shells were collected that day, but several beautiful shell fragments landed in my small collection. I realized those fragments were representative of having come through some hard stuff, but they were buffed by the water and sand, and still pretty. Even as a fragment, they were actually whole – whole pieces that had endured and were beautiful in spite of what they had been through.

Most shell hunters would reject the fragments I picked up, but I kept a few to remind me that, though I’d like to be perfect and whole, God had brought me through, and I can still shine.

Prayer: Thank you, God, that your love for us is as relentless as the ocean waves, and your current is strong enough to carry us through the very worst times in our lives and bring us safely back to shore. Even though we are broken, you smooth our rough edges and make our beautiful colors shine through so that we can show your everlasting love to others. We are all broken, but you still want to use us. And we want to be used for your kingdom. In Jesus’ name, Amen.