We’ve just gotten home from a quick trip to the Gulf. The beach there was one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. The water was clear blue and I could see the bottom everywhere my foot stepped. The sand was littered with parts of sand dollars and other large shells. The waves were smooth and warm. It was dreamy.
I’ve always had a tendency to only collect perfect shells. When I first got there, my goal was to find a perfect sand dollar. That goal shifted. I realized while I was walking and praying that it is difficulty that causes our eyes to see beauty in the imperfect too. It frees us to behold His majesty in all things. Perfection can hinder our pursuit of growth, our pursuit of joy, and our pursuit of love if it’s prioritized over maturity. In James 1:4, we are told to “let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (NAS). That word perfect isn’t the same as our typical understanding. It means mature. It is further defined in the Scripture when James tells us it is also complete and lacking in nothing. Our definition normally implies striving toward something none of us will ever achieve, and that leaves us feeling like we lack.
James is talking about something altogether different. He is talking about freedom from our old understanding. He is talking about growth in this Scripture, and that happens best through difficulty. The Scripture immediately before says: “Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trails, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance” (James 1:2-3). Trials test our faith in a way nothing else does. It’s during difficulty that we see if we are standing on solid ground. And in the difficulty, there is no more perfect place to be than walking alongside God’s Word.
The fragments of shells all around me are like pieces of treasure along the path. They are like God’s Word. It’s there, basking in the light with each step we take, calling us to embrace its beauty. In a world that is so bent on airing thoughts that are formed on the shifting sand of opinion, the Word stands on unshaking ground, rooted in unchanging principles that are just waiting to be activated on our behalf. In an age where religious teachers contradict His Word and Believers are too uneducated in its truths to know the difference, His treasures still wait to be seen. In a time when Sunday Christians want to add a little bit of every public opinion to their Christianity, His Word still sits below the surface calling to be gathered. So many reject the pieces because they abhor the work of uncovering, they despise the imperfection in the process. So many walk right past the promises not realizing that those promises hold the power to make them whole. They are the freedom we seek.
As of today, it has been six months since I lost my voice. Half a year. It’s amazing how time can both fly and crawl all at the same time. I value His Word more than ever. His Word has sustained me. His Word has been my hope. It’s been my anchor and my shelter. I’ve found beauty in the brokenness. I’ve found treasure in the uncovering. I’ve found a clear path for my footing. I see beauty where I once did not. I’m thankful for the eyes to see it. I’m thankful that He’s not tapping His foot waiting for me to be perfect by the typical standard…that He’s not uncomfortable with my limitation. I’m so thankful that He’s got His mind set on my growth. I’m thankful that He finds my journey toward it beautiful even when I have to strain to see the same. I’m thankful for all the little reminders I’ve found littered along the way. Today, I collect them like shells in my jar. I go back to them. I remember, and I am grateful.