Perfectly Broken

Walking along the beach, I saw a beautiful seashell.  Its edges that the rolling waves had worn down the rough edges against the sand caught my eye and heart.  My first thought was how beautiful it was. Once I realized it was broken, I set it gently back down in the sand to move on.  But I could not leave it there.  Picking it up, I felt God telling me that I was like the beautiful broken seashell.  

Once whole, something happened and it broke. Even as a broken shell it is still God's creation, His work.  The breaking of it did not remove it from creation; it simply changed shape.  

Its once sharp broken edges are now smooth and it appears as though this is how it was created.  This little beauty became something new; a new creation.  That is exactly what Christ does with us:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation... 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 NIV

 God has shown me ways that my brokenness was made beautiful through Him.  Not hidden from my view are the rough edges that He is still smoothing.  Sometimes the smoothing process hurts and is something I would rather skip.  When I see this perfectly broken smooth shell though, I see hope.  

God is not finished with me; not even close.  What a relief and terrifying thought at the same time.

#SBTS15