Do you like to pick up seashells on the beach?  I find it very relaxing when I’m taking a long walk.  This past weekend I traveled to Cape San Blas with a dear friend for some reflective time away from everything.  It was very relaxing.  With no schedule to direct our days, we had long quiet times in the morning, knocked around the little towns close by, floated in the water for hours, and took long, long walks.  Some days we’d walk for two hours on the beach before crashing in our chairs.
I loved our long walks because we didn’t always feel compelled to talk.  Sometimes we’d walk along laughing at the birds, watching fish jump or looking for shells (Am I getting old or was I just in great need of a break?  I’m going with the later one.)  Most of the time, the shells were scattered few and far between.  Every once in a while we’d come across a huge bed of shells.  It was like they all decided to gather together for a party on the beach at one location.  I loved looking for shells that weren’t broken or just average.  I wanted the best ones.  Many times I’d find myself staring at a shell bed for a long time and then suddenly my eyes would lock in on a beauty I may have glossed over multiple times.
Just like the mass of shells I looked through, there are lots and lots of possibilities for our life.  We are faced with choices each and every day.  Some of us go through life and feel like we’re living a broken life or average at best.  God never intended for us to settle for average [John 10:10].  You see, there’s average, there’s good, and then there’s God’s choice for us.  Jeremiah 29:11 tells us God has amazing plans for us; however, Isaiah 55:8 tells us His thoughts aren’t like ours nor are His ways like ours.  We may feel like what He has for us is hard to find: a great job, a life partner, a way to serve Him.  Many times His plans for us have been in front of us all along, but it takes a while for us to see them, so we settle for something broken or average.
Psalm 34:10b says “those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.”  He won’t hide from us.  Jeremiah 29:13 says we’ll find Him when we seek Him with all of our heart.  When the Lord and His plans for our life become our passion, we will see Him clearly and know the plans He has for us.
What kind of shell would describe your current situation? Take some time to find what the Lord has for you. It may take a while, but it will be worth it!