LESSONS FROM THE SHORE
by Kathi B. Moreland, MSW

On a recent trip to the Atlantic, I was blessed with a lesson in God’s persistence in His love for us and His purposes in suffering. Walking along the shore was “sooo” relaxing as I was lulled by the repetitive rhythm of the waves. Have you been to the shore recently? Do you remember it? Bring yourself there for a moment.

There are so many lessons about our relationship to our creator in creation. And when we look more carefully at creation, I think that we can find those lessons easily. Take, for instance, the surf. As I walked along the shore, I picked up a small but pretty shell. It was smooth and bleached white by the sun and made smooth by the constant washing it had received over many years. It was no longer course, with small ridges that are so characteristic of those small seashells. I thought about the process the shell went through to become smooth and flawless and pure white; not of its own choosing. The surf was responsible for the transformation.

My thoughts and eyes were then drawn to the surf and I noticed how very relentless it is. It is constant, always there; almost purposeful. The surf is beautiful and mesmerizing to us, but hard on the shoreline. The shoreline that we enjoy so much-that beautiful soft, white sand, would not even be were it not for the pounding of the surf! As I walked, looking into the surf, I noticed the larger particles of shells just where the water breaks. It is gritty and course and noticeably half-shell bits and half sand. (I received a great pedicure!) The sand further away from the breaking waves was increasingly finer. And the sand farthest from shore was the finest and whitest; the kind of sand we like to lie on or play in.

I thought how very much the surf is like God in our lives. He is relentless in his pursuit of us, in His desire to be known by us and in His desire to make us holy and more like Christ, more like Himself. He allows one trial after another. And in times of trouble, we may ask, “Is God even there?” “Am I being punished for something?” “Is there even a God?!” But, God, like the surf, remains relentless with his purpose in our lives – to purify us and make us like Christ through the pounding of life’s difficulties and challenges. Still, God is not far away. His love for us also remains as constant as the surf. For one, it may be an unexpected divorce; for another, an unexpected death; or it could be illness that is not cured; the unfaithfulness of a friend or spouse or the loss of a job. Even as children, many suffer through the pain of abuse and mistreatment through the sin of others. They are innocent and yet they still suffer.

I believe the answers lie in the sand and the surf. God says that He uses all things for our good. (Romans 8:28) He does not always take the storms of life away from us. Life is often not “a day at the beach.” But He never “wastes” these trials. “They are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17) He purifies us, turning us into a pure, white, fine creation. As partially broken shells we are then able to glorify God with the story of our lives. And one day, that day when God is ready for us to come home, we will be fine, soft and pure—just perfect!