Broken Pieces

Last night I took my kids for a quiet walk on the beach while we waited for their father to come home.  It always amazes me how close I feel to God walking on the sand and last night was no exception.  I didn't go seeking some big revelation more just to catch my breath after a long day and just let the kids run out some of their energy!  :)

Our family loves the beach and we always make it a habit of bringing home shells or rocks...our home is filled with treasures from our family walks.  I began to survey the ground to look for beautiful, whole white shells to add to my collection.  I fill vases with theses shells or display them on shelves and they are beautiful reminders of special times.  When we arrived it was high tide so as we walked the waters were receding.  My eyes spotted a beautiful white shell buried in the sand and I bent over to pick it up...to my disappointment it was just a broken piece so I tossed it back into the waves and continued my treasure hunt.  As I surveyed the shoreline more and more pieces of these beautiful brilliant white shells were turning up and I realized as far as my eye could see all there was was broken pieces.  I paused and wondered if I was missing something stepping over these pieces... they were beautiful but they were broken.  I began to wonder what I  could do with a bunch of broken pieces....all at once it hit me that these were the same shells I proudly display at home and if I picked up all these pieces and displayed them in a clear vase it would be beautiful....beautiful to the point that no one would even see the brokenness anymore just the beauty.


I had to laugh.  I began to pick up piece after piece and wash off the sand and place them in a large clam shell I had found.  With every new piece that I picked up I thought about the original purpose of that broken shell.  At one point it had housed life.  It was whole and it was desirable but now after the waves of the ocean had broken it into pieces it appeared to have no purpose.  It would appear the purpose was over.  I quietly reflected on all the brokenness I have walked through and the brokenness in lives around me.  I wondered how many times broken pieces are stepped over in search of a whole shell.  I thought about how it is just like God to take all of those broken pieces and display them together in a vase of his glory and mercy.

Broken families, broken children, broken marriages....He specializes in picking up the pieces and making the discarded beautiful again.  He knows the purpose and potential.  He sees the value others miss.

I will never look at another broken shell the same way again.  I want to see things the way He does.  I want to see people the way He does.  I want to pick up broken pieces and display their value.  Help me Lord to have your heart.  Help me look past my brokenness and see my purpose....help me look at the discarded and see Hope.  Hope that only you can give.



If you are broken in some way there is Hope.  Give Jesus the chance to pull your broken pieces back together and if you fill lucky enough to be a "whole shell"  ask God to give you his heart for the ones who are not.  <3