“Sea Glass”
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him,who have been called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.” Romans 8:28-29
I found a piece of frosted green sea glass while walking along the beach last summer. Not having seen nor heard of sea glass before, I stopped long enough to admire it, but then tossed it into the baggie along with all the sea shells my daughters had collected. We brought the baggie home and it was put on the top shelf of a closet, to sit with the other baggies of sea shells from past trips to the beach, treasured momentos excitedly collected during our walks…taken home, put on the shelf, and forgotten.
A few months later I read the book, Sea Glass, by Anita Shreve. It is a tragic, yet hopeful story of a woman whose life didn’t turn out the way she hoped or planned…Does it ever? Set in a coastal New Hampshire town at the beginning of the Great Depression, the characters each struggle with circumstances and emotional and physical trials that mold and shape them. Throughout her struggles, the main character, Honora, walks along the beach outside of her home and collects sea glass, beautiful pieces in greens, blues, and other colors, which she then displays on platters.
Sea glass is formed from bottles, jars, and other glass what-nots that have been tossed into the ocean…discarded. The pounding of the waves and the rocks and sand all work together over years, and sometimes even decades, to break the glass into pieces, and then to begin the transformation. Where once they were discarded and broken, they become valuable, collected works of nature’s art that are smooth and frosted and beautiful.
I have since come to think of the pain, trials, and challenges that life brings as little and big pieces of jagged glass… unwanted, broken, sharp…with the ability to cut deep…to draw blood. The waves, rocks, and sand? That is God, as He takes those shards of our lives and transforms their power over us. It can take years, and yes, sometimes even decades, to turn them into something treasured, something valuable, something beautiful…IF we let Him.
When is the transformation complete? It is when the edges have been smoothed and no longer have the ability to cut. It is when their appearance becomes frosted and we see them in a different light…not for the pain they caused, but for their ability to transform us into the person God intended us to be-resting freely in His love and peace. And they become priceless gifts when we use them to reach out to others facing their own shards of glass…to care for them, to encourage them, to love them.
One of the main features of sea glass is that through the transformation process they become covered with tiny pores. If closely looked at under a microscope, they are shaped like the letter “c”. God can and will cover our own transformed sea glass with His own marking… “C”hrist. My piece of frosted green sea glass is no longer forgotten in the darkness of a closet. It sits in the center of my dresser, a reminder of God’s faithfulness, and God’s perfect and transforming Love. Trust God with YOUR jagged pieces of glass. He WILL transform them into something beautiful, for His glory.
Lord,
I praise You for Your transforming love. I give You all of my jagged pieces and ask that You transform them into something beautiful that will bring glory to You. Thank you for Your faithfulness.
In Your son, Jesus’, precious name, Amen.
