My walk on the beach this morning turned into a shell gathering pursuit.
I struggled in the sand, soggy from last night’s rain. It was dark and deep and it crept into my running shoes through the holes meant for “wicking” away moisture from hot, sweaty feet.
Wouldn’t it be easier to walk on packed sand? Hardened by kids playing in the surf during spring break and the overnight waves? No, this sand was loose and swallowed the bottom inch of my shoes.
Morning beach sand is usually cool and pale, the kind you want to dig your toes down deep in. The cool top sand gives way to moist cold sand and you can feel the remnant of last evening’s high tide moisture hiding beneath the surface.
I walked, hiked almost, on level beach toward the bay and I didn’t stop to plunge my feet into the sand. It was all wet. Without words I innocuously cursed the deep, slowing terrain and simply wanted to get back to my car.
But out of the corner of my eye I noticed a perfectly intact shell.
And then another, this one thick and broken but with a striped pattern.
A few minutes later I saw two unaltered halves of a clam shell, conjoined twins still attached to one another.
I picked them up and put them in the kangaroo pouch of my sweatshirt.
Everywhere I walked shells peeked at me out of the sand. And I realized the only reason that I noticed so many was that the sand was so dark. The uncomfortable, wet sand, darkened with rain showed the stark whiteness of the shells on the deep brown canvas of the beach.
White unbroken shells on a wet beach.
Sometimes beauty is brighter on a shadowed background.
This isn’t a new idea. But it struck me that sometimes God shows me things that I would normally overlook by first making me aware of the troublesome or difficult aspects of my life.
I can understand rest only after an exhausting week.
I can see goodness in my daughter’s heart after she’s told me yet another story about the mean boys at school.
I recognize safety and rescue after I hear a horrible story on the news.
Love and affection mean more to me after an argument.
We all have to engage in a bit of beach combing if we are to survive. But we can’t wait until it rains to notice the beauty of the sea shells.
We have to walk carefully and collect them, hold them sandy and cold in our hands. We have to watch for the goodness because it won’t find us unless we look.
Do you have trouble noticing the “shells?” What beauty have you witnessed lately on a shadowed canvas?
Love this Sarah! I too love to hunt for shells. I never leave the beach without a wet and sandy handful of some whole, some half shells. To me, shells are the little details of the beach that remind me of God’s love for me. He knows I love them so much! When I go through disappointing times in life God’s little reminders of love (his shells) are not far from me. I need to do some beach combing today!
Today – I am just searching for that beauty.
I am focusing on the dark canvas and having a lot of trouble seeing the shells.
Thanks for the reminder.
The last 2 years probably been the hardest of my life so far but I made i trough the this dark period and you know what…. It made me see Gods love for me even brighter than I have ever seen it before! It is so well worth it when you let God mold you! I appriciate and see the white shells on the dark canvas!
Against the possible darkness of my daughter’s disabilities and fear of others misunderstanding, I’ve reached out to ask if we could volunteer and help to walk someone’s dog and wash our community’s police cars. The answer was a resounding “YES”! And so God’s light and love come flooding in, brightening up our days with a purpose and a plan.
Thanks Sarah for sharing how you found the good God in the struggle times and letting us share too! Blessings and love, deb
I’ve only had the pleasure to be on the beach twice in my lifetime…I know, ouch huh? Both times I did search for shells. I had to; I had to bring them back home where they would not exist if I didn’t.
Love the story. You are an incredible writer! Write on!
God Bless YOU!
Mary
I liked this “Sometimes beauty is brighter on a shadowed background.” so much I put it in a note thing on my home page in Firefox. It reminds me of this quote by Charles Swindoll:
“Without pain the ink cannot flow.”
What a beautiful analogy
You remember a few weeks the blog I wrote for your beauty challenge? Well, the last picture showed a group of people walking up a dark tunnel. I took that picture after we’d spent an hour giving food and supplies to a group of homeless people living in a tent city in Cincinnati, OH last Summer when we went chaperoned a group of teens for a week long trip to what’s called Summer of Service. Long story short, God literally led us to this group of twelve people and then allowed us to go back before we left for home.
The most striking part of that experience was one man I met named Chet. As we were coming into the tent city I noticed him tending a box of month old kittens so I knelt beside him and we started chatting. Eventually I learned he had a sister in the hospital so I asked if I could pray for him. He said yes and stuck out his hand which I took immediately. Chet looked at me and smiled. There he was, his skin like leather and covered in dust, the smell of alcohol hanging in the air about him, but there was such beauty.
I was told once that without the dark, how could we appreciate the light? I think God shows us beauty in the darkest corners of every alley if we’re willing to see it.
Hey Sarah. I am headed to the beaches of North Carolina next week for the annual women’s retreat with my church gurls. Can’t wait. And this post made me even more giddy about going. I promise you. I’ll be looking for the pure white against the dark shadows along the way. You are a blessin’
Beautifully wrought post. I also love that God often brings surprises in the darkness even when we aren’t searching for them.
So very true. After losing a baby to miscarriage, I see life so differently. Loss has altered my perspective.
i rly like katy’s just released song California Gurls! It’s really memorable and great to hear everyday, It’s my fav song rite now.