Treasure from the Depths

My hubby surprised me with a trip to the beach for a couple days to celebrate our 34th anniversary which will be coming up this Sunday. First time he’s ever surprised me like that AND the first time we’ve spent any time together on the beach. As we head home, I thought this was the perfect time to share with you.

Of course, we’re not your average “beach go-er”. If you know us, you know. We enjoyed it at odd hours when there were hardly any people around, and the ones that were there were pretty much clothed. We stood on the beach and took in the view at seven or eight o’clock in the evening and five or six o’clock in the morning.

As I stood there, my bare feet being cradled in smooth, wet sand and caressed by the cool, salty ocean waves which rolled in depositing their lute at our feet, I simply stood in awe.

God is so big, so great, so detailed, and so amazingly creative. Unlike our normal, dependable getaway spots in the mountains, the ocean offered a different view and experience with each passing moment. The very sand we stood on would shift beneath our feet in merely seconds as the waves came in and then went out again. In only a brief moment, if we were looking in the right direction, we would spot the dance of a dark, dolphin fin arc out and back into its salty abode. A couple of times the foamy, waves became a temporary stage for the showing off of little, pinkish jellyfish dancing shyly at our feet. We watched spots of “boiling” water expose themselves as schools of fish swarmed by and flipped in and out of the water. A seagull would suddenly dive, swooping down to scoop up a bite for dinner. It was all an amazing experience for this girl to take in. Oh, I forgot to mention the difference a snapshot of the horizon would look from one moment to the next. Subtle, but definite shifts in the orangish-pink hues could be observed when we’d look through our photos later on. It was simply breathtaking…all because our Sovereign God is so incredibly detailed and creative. All the credit goes straight to Him! Nobody like Him!

What caught my attention, and what I wanted to share here, was the people searching for “treasures.”

Treasures. Shark teeth, coins, driftwood, sea shells and creatures…something they wouldn’t ordinarily have in their possession if it wasn’t for the rhythm of nature’s silent music and sway. I realized that the items people were searching for had been rejected and deposited from the depths of the ocean. Some of these items used to have meaning, life and value.

The item’s history was all that could be offered now as it was pulled from the sand. Used up and broken shells, driftwood pieces reminding of better days gone by, and items which were actually lifeless were now being collected and recognized as treasures by young and old alike. There were also treasures being dug out of the sand in the dark hours of night. There were adults and children using their phone’s flashlight to search the beach for these treasures. Sand crabs was the answer I finally received after getting up the nerve to ask.

All this amazed me.

As I scoured the sandy beach in search of shells for my grands, and saw other people with shovels, nets, and even a gentleman with a metal detector…my mind rambled in deep thought. I thought about how God searches for us in our darkest times, how He often pulls us out of the dirt, and last but not least, how He can find something valuable about and in us even when we’ve been rejected or feel washed up and dead inside. He considers us to be His treasure and worth saving, regardless of other’s opinions of us, our history or present condition.

Here’s a few verses I’d like to share with you today:

“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine;” Exodus 19:5 (ESV)

“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” Zephaniah 3:17 (ESV)

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” I Peter 2:9 (ESV)

No matter where we might be in life right now, God says we’re seen, wanted, His treasure, loved and chosen. What wonderful assurance we have in knowing this! May we all be encouraged today and may we also encourage someone else who may feel nothing more than hopeless, washed up “has-beens”.

God uses the rejected, the broken, and the hopeless person. He loves us in our lowest state. When we think we’re at our wits end, He still has plans for our future and will bring it to pass if we’ll simply trust in Him and allow Him to do what He does best. He can bring life, create newness, and help us live life abundantly. Oh, this is Jesus!

We can be washed up from the depths and still have and find new life and purpose. If you find yourself washed up on the proverbial, sandy beach today, don’t forget that God is always searching for treasures and He considers you to be one. He sees right where you’re at, and where He plans for you to end up. The beach isn’t the end; there’s abundant life and Heaven to gain. We are His treasure even if, and when, we’re pulled from the depths.

Be blessed and encouraged today~