I recently got back from a week-long family vacation to Cape May, New Jersey. This pilgrimage to Cape May has been a family tradition on my husband’s side for generations. Extended family and friends all rent beach houses and stay for the week spending time catching up, relaxing, and playing together.
As someone who grew up by the beach I love a good beach vacation. It’s made all the more special now that I get to see my kids wandering the beach, digging in the sand, and playing with their cousins. One day my 4 year old daughter asked if we could go for a walk and search for shells. The fact that I am in my third trimester carrying her little sister and that I might not be up for a walk on the beach did not occur to my daughter. Still, I couldn’t resist saying yes to her. We grabbed a bucket and made our way down along the surf looking for shells.
As we went along she would pick up a shell here or there. Seaweed also made it into the bucket along with small pieces of driftwood or stones. What was fascinating to me was that she didn’t just pick out things that I, or anyone else for that matter, would have deemed beautiful. Most of the shells were broken or had holes in them. Seaweed is not something I have ever chosen to collect. And what were we doing carrying around a bucket that was half pebbles? And yet, to her, each and every thing in her bucket was a piece of treasure. Everything she picked up was beautiful or special in its own way and in a way she could see that they rest of us just missed.
The way my daughter saw the items in her bucket is the way God sees all of us. There are people in our lives that we would not want to collect or allow in our own buckets but who God loves dearly. God is able to see them for the unique, beautiful, special person they are. Sometimes we need to be reminded to look at those around us from the perspective of God who loves everyone we see. And other times we need to be reminded that we too are so loved and cherished by God. We can go through seasons of feeling worthless, overwhelmed, and overlooked and yet, even in those times, God sees you as a precious treasure to be held close. Friends, I pray that you know God’s deep love for you today and everyday.
