When on a beach walk, shelling is one of my favorite pastimes. With waves as background music, I alternate between looking up at blue skies or looking down at the sand to collect shells to take home. Usually, I am visiting a beach in South Carolina, the state where I grew up.
The shells on South Carolina beaches offer 700 delightful varieties awaiting discovery. I've also enjoyed collecting shells in other states and countries. The impressive Triton shell I found in the Dominican Republic is one of my favorites. In Florida, I gathered some big conch shells with the glowing pink color inside. In Israel, I collected tiny shells in the Sea of Galilee. I enjoyed finding whelk with their lovely shapes in the Bahamas. Each kind of shell on any seashore has their own shape, color, and story.
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| A Lettered Olive |
In tidal pools, I also
discovered miniature sea stars/starfish, a first for me in beach walking over
the years. Some of the tiny starfish created quite a picture with the loss of
one of their four arms. Locals say that the tiny starfish have been a
phenomenon all summer.
Some
shells are so beautiful, they are a feast for the eyes. Others, like oysters, are
not pretty but they sure are delicious. They remind me of the fun of an outdoor
oyster roast. South Carolinians love to shovel oysters off steel-topped fires
and dump them onto plywood tables. Oyster lovers like me are ready with an oyster knife. Some shells, like the ones in the Sea of Galilee hold a spiritual meaning because Jesus strolled the shores and walked on the water! Other shells like the cockles make for clever craft projects.
Looking
at the varieties of shells my thoughts turned to God’s design for human beings.
No two are alike. God endows each of us with personality, purpose, ideas, appearance,
skin colors, smiles, hair, ability, etc. combined into a DNA all our own.
Our
uniqueness does not shelter us from life’s ups and downs though. Like many of
the useful or lovely shells, we experience brokenness marred and battered by
reefs of problems, hurricanes of confusion, or unrelenting high tides of loss.
Everyone I know has experienced some sort of
brokenness, loss, or trauma. That includes me. Battered
like broken beach shells, it is easy to wonder, “Will I make it?” King David
experienced all emotions, questions, successes, and failures.
Crying out in the
Psalms, he wondered if God had abandoned him. He seesawed between passionate
praises to the Lord and deep sorrows while hiding in a cave. In Psalm 34:1
David proclaimed, “Lord, I’m bursting with joy over what you’ve done for me!” Then
in Psalm 77:4 he laments, “I can’t get a wink of sleep until you come and
comfort me. Now I’m too burdened to even pray!” (The Passion Translation)
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| Shark Eye Moon Shell |
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| An angel wing |
