Beaches.
Sand, surf, and ocean breezes bring about a vision of peace, tranquility, and relaxation.
Digging your toes into the golden sand, soaking in the beauty of a warm summer day and watching the sun sparkle off the water.
Pure bliss.
The beach makes me appreciate the magnitude of God and the marvel of His creation, from the vastness of the ocean down to the speck of sand.
I recently learned of an infamous beach that I have never visited -Glass Beach in Fort Bragg, California.
A beach made from trash!
In 1906, the residents established a garbage pile they dubbed "The Dumps." The original dump site filled in 1943, moved to another area and filled again in 1949 and was moved a second time and remained an active dump site until 1967 when it was finally closed.
Ironically, over all those years, the pounding waves broke down the glass and pottery and tumbled them into tiny, smooth, multicolored pieces that now litter the shoreline with sparkling beautiful glass sand!
Trash becomes beauty.
Is there anything too big or even too small for God?
If God, through his creation, can turn trash into something beautiful, how much more can He do in our lives?
Like the ultimate sculptor, God sees us for the divine perfection that we are and he sees our circumstances as a mechanism to shape our lives into his perfect design.
“The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection. … Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it. … The marble not yet carved can hold the form of every thought the greatest artist has.” – Michelangelo
Scripture tells us:
But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” ~ Matthew 19:26 ESV
For nothing will be impossible with God. ~ Luke 1:37
I can do all things through him who strengthens me. ~ Philippians 4:13
Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for me? ~ Jeremiah 32:27 ESV
Nothing is too hard or impossible for the God who created the heavens and the earth.
Why do we limit God’s abilities in our lives? Why do we try so hard to do things ourselves, to fix things ourselves, to correct our situations alone?
We focus on the trash, the junk in our lives that piles up and buries us alive!
We only see the pain, the loss, the illness, the disappointment, the despair, the hopelessness, the defeat, the negativity and the impossible. It looms like a giant mountain of trash!
We need to stop seeing the trash and focus on the splendor of God.
We need to succumb to the waves and the sculptor’s tools, trusting in our Creator and releasing Him to accomplish the impossible in our lives and transform us!
Start believing today that God CAN take the trash in your life and make something beautiful; that He will chip away the junk that surrounds you and reveal your greatest self.
God is not a powerless myth rather a powerful force, a force so mighty He can take any trash in your life and turn it into a masterpiece!
Will you let him?
Father, may we come to you each day and boldly request your assistance in our lives; believing in your mighty power and releasing you to do the impossible. Please take all the trash in our lives and turn it into something beautiful- something that is for Your glory and our goodness!
“But now, O LORD, You are our Father, We are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand.” ~Isaiah 64:8