7 Great Lessons About God From the Seashore
Tandy shares 7 great lessons about God that she learned from walking along the seashore. Each lesson is a little nutmeg of truth that will inspire you to think differently about your world, and about God.
Contact us if you are a truth seeker and need some answers.
Lesson #1 Inspiration From a Sea Shell
Our long anticipated trip had arrived. My husband Brian and I had a week to spend in a quiet location where we were able to go for a long walk on the beach every morning. The first few days we just walked along, soaking in the sun and the scenery. One morning we found a few nice shells and from there our walks changed! We were always on the lookout for beautiful, unusual and perfect shells.
One morning as I picked up a shell, looked at it and then discarded it, I had a sudden thought. Isn’t it a good thing that God doesn’t only want those of us that are “perfect?” There would be very few of us in his collection if we were excluded because of our flaws. We may try our best to make things look good on the surface, but there is no hiding from the one who knows us intimately. I am so thankful that God knows my flaws and loves me just as I am. He will never reject me because I’m not good enough. Lesson one had just been illustrated to me in a way that I will never forget.
Lesson #2 Beauty From Brokenness
We picked up a couple of broken shells that looked to me like rosebuds. The hard outer shell had been broken away and the inside had been exposed to the tides and polished smooth. When we talked about them, Brian said, “Since you like these so much, maybe we could take some of our “perfect” shells and break them to look the same.” We knew in our hearts that this wouldn’t work. Just as with people, the brokenness does not become beauty until we have become buffeted by the seas of life and tossed against the rough rocks and sand. Only God can take our brokenness and smooth away the rough edges of pain and make something beautiful. This was lesson two.
Lesson #3 Shells Are Individuals
Lesson three came when we weren’t sure if we wanted certain shells because we had others that looked the same. Upon closer examination, no two shells were exactly the same. Just as no two people are the same, each one has its own individual markings and identity. We said good morning to a woman on the beach, also collecting shells and commented on how they were all different. Enthusiastically, she said, “Yes, they’re a wonderful gift from God.” We reflected on how we are eternally grateful that God doesn’t say “No, I don’t think I want that one, I have a few others like that already.” Each of us has our own unique beauty and we need to actively look for that in others.
Lesson #4 Contentment
Lesson four was a bit longer in sinking in. There were so many shells I had access to, that I admired and wanted to pick up and bring home with me. Just because we see something we’d like and it’s available doesn’t mean that we have to have it! I could stop, pick up a shell and admire it and then put it back down again. The gift was seeing it in the first place. God has surrounded us with such wonders and beauty and we just need to stop and see and thank him for his many gifts to us. One of the secrets to happiness is being content with what we have and not feeling like we need to keep collecting more and more.
Lesson #5 Things Are Not Always What They Seem
Have you ever noticed that the sea looks so blue and inviting from a distance, but when you get right up to it, the colour is not the same at all? This was lesson number five, that things are not always as they seem at first glance. If we were to be able to see closer into situations, we would see that they can be much different from the distant view we often take.
Check out HopeStreamRadio on Soundcloud
This is something we need to remember with people. That person who seemed abrupt with you may be someone who is experiencing a deep level of pain and just needs some understanding. Maybe the best thing we can do is pray to the one who sees everything and ask what we can do to show His love to others.
What I thought was another lesson, turned out to be part of lesson five, just put into other terms. We started looking for shells that had been buffeted by the seas so much that they were translucent. Brian had a vision of turning these into something for our granddaughters, so the hunt was on! The sunlight reflected beautifully off of these shells so we were looking for the glimmer. Soon we discovered that all that glitters is not gold. Sometimes the shine was just a piece of damp seaweed! It’s the same with people. Have you ever wished you could have a life like someone else you know? Everything seems to be so perfect for them. That is just the surface, if we could get an intimate look into that life, we might see illness, heartbreak or other troubles. What we see as gold, may in reality be a piece of wet seaweed. I need to be thankful for the life I’ve been given and not wishing to have what someone else does.
Lesson #6 The Answer May be Right in Front of You
Lesson six came when we stopped and really looked at a pile of shells on the beach. What we are looking for is often right in front of us, if we only take the time to stop and see. In our hurry to get places, we often walk right past what we are looking for. We had walked past these shells a few minutes earlier and not seen what we were looking for. On the return walk, the sun caught so many that we had missed. Sometimes we need to look at things from a different angle to realize that what we were looking for has been right there within our grasp all along.
Lesson #7 Wait on the Lord
One evening we were standing on our deck, looking out to the ocean. It was dark and we couldn’t see much but the sound of the waves lapping along the shore gave us such a sense of peace. Then Brian noticed a crane at the water’s edge. We watched as it stood still for a very long time and then would very slowly move a little in one direction and then back again. Suddenly it scooped up a fish that we could see glittering from its mouth. That crane knew how to wait. It showed incredible patience. Lesson seven for me is to wait on the Lord. When I pray, I often look for instant answers. That’s not usually the way He works! I need to keep praying and slow down enough to see the answers when they are there. If I don’t learn to stop and wait on the Lord, I will miss out on so much that He has planned for me.
What started out as walks along the beach for selfish pleasure, turned into lessons that I hope will stay with me for a lifetime. Just to be sure, I’ve brought a few shells home to remind me of the days that God taught me valuable life lessons as I strolled along the seashore with Him.
Tandy Balson
Tandy Balson is a wife, mother, grandmother, friend, volunteer and observer of life. She is also a also a contributor to our Christian internet radio station, HopeStreamRadio. Contact us if you are a truth seeker and need some answers. Read and hear more from Tandy Balson on the contributor’s page or on her website, www.timewithtandy.com
Tandy’s show, “Time With Tandy” airs on HopeStreamRadio. In her program she reflects on spiritual lessons from her observations of life, to encourage and strengthen us in our faith.
You Might Enjoy These Posts:
Math & Music – A Complex Relationship
The Journey of Life – Journey Together & Help One Another
Old Style Garages and the Bond of Christian Fellowship
You May Also Enjoy These Podcasts:
Brad Hewey – Grace Outpoured
James Bruyn – Walking With God
Lynda Lewis – God, Who Do You Say I Am?
Queue –sheadquarters
Images Courtesy Of:
Woman at the Beach – Pexels
Dropped Shells – Unsplash
Starfish and Shells – croisy
Seashells – Pexels
Leave a Reply