Broken Shells

I am going to share something that I wrote in March of 2009 while at Wrightsville Beach. In my mind, it just doesn't get any better than when I am walking along the shore (especially during the cooler, less crowded seasons), feeling the sand under my bare feet, listening to the crashing waves, smelling the salt water in the air, hearing the sound of the seagulls, and looking out across the ocean. It just seems to clear my head of all of the clutter. Anyway, here goes:

Broken Shells

There are shells which appear smooth and polished on the surface, glistening in the brightness of the noonday sun. Others are rough around the edges, giving a sharp, untouchable impression. Then there are the shells which are thin and fragile, beaten down and partially buried in the sand beside those which appear thick and strong.

As I walk along the ocean's edge, marveling at the gift of God's vast creation, I pick up pieces of shells which once were whole. I notice that some have jagged edges.

Then, something catches my eye. A hint of purple...shades of brown. Suddenly, the scarred, jagged edges have disappeared as I focus on the shell's beauty, rather than its flaws.

The fierce beating of the waves and the whirling sand have refined the shells until their unique, intended design has been realized and fulfilled.

We are, in many ways, like those shells. Some of us appear smooth and polished, while others are fragile, worn, or rough around the edges.

Beaten by the waves of life day after day, we eventually become the unique entities that we were intended and designed to be, in spite of, and more often because of the tossing and whirling to and fro.

Many of us have jagged, vulnerable edges which sometimes give us a sharp, untouchable appearance on the surface. But, sometimes a true friend will catch a glimpse of who we have become....a kaleidoscope of colors...and will choose to focus on our beauty, rather than our flaws. That friend can help us see ourselves as we really are, complete with a hint of purple and shades of brown.

As we bask in the warmth of friendship, our burdens seem lighter and our jagged edges less vulnerable as we joyfully discover that sometimes the broken shells are the most beautiful of all.