Seashells

Nancy Burall  

Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  James 1:3 (NIV)

We walked along the beach, very early in the morning.  The sun was just peeking over the horizon.  There was coolness in the salty air.  Sandpipers scampered across the low tide waves; washed-ashore food was their main focus.  My son and I chuckled at their antics as we bent over to pick up seashells.

At first, Andy and I picked up any shells.  Almost all of them were broken.  We didn't care; we just wanted a few more souvenirs.  I found a decently clean paper sack in the trashcan to hold our fast growing collection.  I'd worry about the germs later.  That morning was mom and son time.

As we collected more seashells, I noticed a shift in our choice of picking.  Moments before, we gathered just any shell, whether broken or not.  Now, we selected shells that weren't broken.  Not even cracked.  As I pondered on this transition, I was moved to the awareness that we wanted perfect seashells.  My thoughts processed why perfection is desirous.  Then, “Aha,” I said out loud.  Perfect means no flaws.  If there are no flaws, then zero improvement is needed.  Hence, we wanted complete seashells.

How about that?  I said to myself, We want perfection; perfection means completeness.

I meditated on the fact that while on earth, we are not perfect, because we are broken.  Therefore, only when Jesus calls us home, will we become perfect. 

How utterly majestic God's lessons are.  He can show us the grandness of His perfect plans, by the simple things of life.