Washed Up & Broken

Walking down the beach at sunrise is not a regular occurrence for me. Doing anything at sunrise for that matter is not part of my routine. However on our family vacation to Folly Beach, South Carolina, I enjoyed a couple of very early mornings on the beach watching the sunrise.

Besides the view of God's beautiful handiwork in the sunrise, I also saw His majesty and grace in the shells that littered the beach. Lapping waves and the squish of sand between my toes. The crunch of small shells under my feet.

Searching for sand dollars and shells, the Lord taught me a lesson about being washed up and broken. My niece was in search of shells worthy to take home for a best friend. She said she didn't want "just any shell", it had to be "special". Looking for the "perfect shell" became a challenge. But what I soon came to realize was that the "perfect shell" didn't exist.

Most of the shells that had washed up were broken or worn by the sea. Even the shells that seemed to be in tact were really just half of what they used to be and the creature that lived inside them was no more. That meant they were not whole, if they weren't whole, they couldn't be perfect. Instead, I began to see the beauty and the desirability of even the most broken shell. I stopped looking for what others considered perfect or beautiful and started looking with different eyes.

That is me, I am washed up and broken. A sinner saved by grace. God has washed me in the waters of baptism, and though I am broken, I am broken as a part of His perfect will for me. My old self is gone and I am transformed into a new creation. My former self is now a new creature in Christ. I am no longer seen as imperfect, Christ's blood makes me perfect in God's eyes. I am treasured by The One who found me. I am in His grasp.

I will display the shells from my trip, but God doesn't want to put me in a container for display. No, He wants to pour me back out and send me out to be His ambassador. He wants me to tell the story of His grace, the story of His Son Jesus Christ whose body was broken for me. That I might be seen as perfect.