Seashells on the Seashore

On a recent vacation, my six year old daughter and I were looking for seashells at the beach. As she ran along with her bucket in tow, she tried to pick up every shell she saw. She picked up broken shells, shells with holes, shiny ones, and dull ones. She didn’t care what they looked liked. She tried to pick up every shell she saw.

I, on the other hand, only wanted to pick up the shells that were large, whole, and had no marks or blemishes. I could not understand why she wanted to pick up the broken shells. I finally started asking her why she picked up each shell.

My daughter would tell me that she picked up this shell because she liked the color, that one because it was shiny, and another because it had ridges that felt funny to her fingers. She could find a reason to pick up every shell. In her eyes, each one had a unique quality.

She taught me a profound lesson that day. I began to see the scope of God’s unfailing, unconditional love. I began to understand how much God loves each one of us just the same, despite our holes and blemishes.

I was reminded of the parable of the lost sheep. Jesus said that even if only one sheep out of one hundred is lost, he is worth pursuing. Each sheep is just as valuable as the others. The shepherd cares for every sheep in the flock and does not want to lose even one.

God loves every human being that He has created. He does not want even one to be lost. God looks beyond our faults, our failures, and our shortcomings. Despite our brokenness, our holes, and our blemishes, God loves us immensely.

I love Psalm 23 verse 6a. It says, “Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life…” (NIV) The Hebrew word for “follow” here literally means “an animal in pursuit”. God doesn’t just love us from afar, or wait for us to come to Him for His love. He actually pursues us just like an animal in the wild pursues another animal.

I’ve made my share of mistakes in the past, and I’m sure I’ll make many more in the future. But, I have the confidence and I am assured that God’s love is everlasting. The holes and blemishes I get along life’s journey only make me more valuable in God’s collection of shells.

Just like my daughter saw something special about each one of the shells on the seashore, God sees something special in each one of us. He will not leave a single shell behind. He will pick each one up, put them in His bucket, take them home, clean them up, and use each one according to His purpose. n