Beautifully Broken

Like other beachcombers walking along the water’s edge, I was in search of the “perfect one.” I’d pick up a shell only to drop it back onto the sand a moment later. None of them seemed right; they didn’t align with my heartache.

And yet, something sparkled at me from the surf. I picked up the long, slim conch shell and saw that its outer protective layer was gone, revealing a beautiful pearl-like interior. It brought comfort at the touch, its length extending up my wrist. I wrapped my hand around it and continued my trek. I began to feel calmer than I had in a while.

Another glint in the water revealed a shell remnant, this one dark and flat with an opalescent sheen. It nestled perfectly in the openness of the one I carried with me. As I went along the beach, an eclectic array of shells seemed to beckon to be picked up and join the group secure in the slender shell’s well. I marveled at its capacity to carry so much – far more than I could have accommodated with my bare hand.

Then, up ahead, buried in the sand, was the Great One so many of us had been seeking. As I lifted it up, I was struck by its immensity and moved by its brokenness. The giant conch shell was battered. The divots throughout its body and the gaping hole in its regal crown told of its tremendous journey to reach me.

As if made to fit, the lovely thin shell I’d been carrying rested perfectly inside the Great One, along with all that she carried.
I was now ready to go back. Looking down at the collection in my hand, I realized that the giant conch appeared whole. The beautiful slim shell had filled the gaps.

A woman nearby called out, “You sure got lucky!”
I couldn’t have agreed more.

Drew Elizabeth Roadarmel demonstrated to us all how to grow love.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Ps 34:16