Our daughter, Gracie is probably the happiest person I
know.  She delights in everything and
everyone around her and it’s often through her eyes that God teaches me lessons
I know I’ll never forget. 

We are beach people…I’m talking go every chance we get, hate
coming up for lunch beach people.  And
like most families, we enjoy collecting shells as we walk along the beach and
talk about our lives back home.  I love
tiny pinky-orange shells, buttery yellow ones, large black ones, curly ones and
fan-shaped ones but the ones I never pick up are the broken ones.  That’s normal right?  I mean, when was the last time you went in
someone’s home and saw a decorative container or glass bowl filled with broken
shells?  Well, if you visit our home,
that’s exactly what you will find from now on. 

My daughter never got the memo about people not liking
broken shells and for a long time it drove me nuts.  Honestly, it’s hard to “walk on the beach”
with someone who loves broken shells because they are EVERYWHERE!  But, the smile on her face as she darted up
and down the water line with her yellow bucket in hand triumphantly showing me
each and every piece as if it were a treasured work of art stopped me in my
tracks on our last trip to the gulf. 

See, contrary to my belief, Gracie isn’t the only one who
loves broken shells.  Thankfully, God
does too.  We are all broken, chipped,
worn and simply un-whole but that’s okay because in God’s hands, the broken
become mended, imperfections are used to magnify His glory, worn places become
testimonies and we are made complete. 
Throughout God’s Word, it’s the flawed but willing who are used to do
great things and Psalm 34:18 assures us that He is “near to the
brokenhearted.”  So, go ahead and lie
broken at His feet.  For it’s in those
moments that He will gently pick you up, hold you in the palm of His hand and
treasure you like a priceless work of art, with never a thought of discarding
you for your imperfections, cracks or rough edges.