He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm: 147:3 NIV

Walking on the beach, searching for perfect seashells is an activity that always returns me to my childhood. My body may be older, but my spirit is childlike, searching for treasure.

This year, the October waves were unusually high until the last day of our vacation. When the tide receded, shattered seashells littered the bleached sand. Repeatedly, I bent to dig out a prize only to discover it splintered. An onyx seashell half-buried in the crystals appeared to be perfect until I cleaned it in water and discovered a hole at the apex. I’d been walking and praying, asking God to speak to me, and He did, through the debris on the beach.

How many shells had I passed over because of their imperfections? How many people have I ignored because of their poverty, the coarseness of their language, or just plain old meanness? There are others who seem to have it all, the perfect life. But I know no one reaches maturity without being crushed. Some just hide it better than others, just the like the shell I discovered half-buried in the sand. At first glance, it appeared to be whole, but it too had been damaged.

Someday, when I get to heaven, I’ll be perfect, but only because of Jesus and His precious blood that wiped away my sins. Until then, I hope to gather other broken pieces for His kingdom. It takes each of us to make up the body of Christ. The church is not for the perfect, it is for the fractured. Each broken life forms into the one body Christ. His body was broken and pierced for you and for me.

I saved the imperfect shell to remind me of my brokenness, and the healing power of Jesus. How about you? Are you too broken and splintered?  Let me introduce to Jesus. He’s the perfect treasure.