Early this morning, the coastal breeze was invigorating to my skin as I stepped out of the canopy of sea grapes and onto the barely trodden sand. The sun was barely surfacing, so the shade was plentiful and the ground felt cool to the soles of my feet. I put down my towel, positioned the tripod for the video, and began to read my children’s book to share. It was a peaceful scene. Then, these pesky petite ants began to swiftly surround me and launched a sting strike on the backs of my legs. They didn’t cause so much harm as they did aggravate my focus. But…I persevered and finished the reading.
Okay, was that imagery necessary to share? No, but it was an example of how we may often see things in life. I’m talking about social media here. We may view others’ profiles and posts and think “they have it all together” or “do they ever take a bad photo” or “I wish my family looked and loved like they do” or “it must be nice to travel like that”. You know the comparison phrases that go through your mind.
Comparison… this topic is not a new concept to the bible. Think about Cain and Abel, Saul and David, the parable of the workers in the vineyard, and so many more examples. The end result steals joy, puffs up pride, causes anxiety and bitterness. Don’t be disillusioned. We need to focus on what the bible says and quash those previous mentioned qualities, and embody a Christ-like attitude.
A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; jealousy is like cancer in the bones. Proverbs 14:30
For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind. James 3:16
When you see an admirable posting of another, and begin to compare your life to theirs, just know that 1) no one is perfect, only Jesus, and 2) they just may have ants vying for their attention.
Now, this was a total squirrel moment from what I initially came on here to share. The main reason was to share the original journal entry about the seashells story, and to give the fun facts about Anna Maria Island that I said I would share.
There’s the OG:
How many times have you seen part of a shell sticking up from the sand and picked it up only to realize that it had been cracked or broken? Often we would pick up the shell, quickly glance at it, and toss it back down into the sand.
Time and again one of our children would bring his or her prize beach discovery to me. Only to my eyes I saw a broken shell, yet my child saw the beauty.
During the summer of 2006, I learned a valuable lesson. Our youngest child, who was four years old, was walking along the seashore searching for shells. He proudly brought me his tattered shell and then, to his discovery, would say, “OH, it’s broken.” and throw it down.
When he began tossing the shells aside it jarred my heart to think, “Is this how we treat people?” We may see someone a bit tattered and look in disgust. Or we may see someone with a different lifestyle than us and turn our heads so we would not have to make eye-contact with them.
So we may look and act differently. Great! I’m so thankful that people aren’t like me…we would drive each other crazy!
After mentally comparing broken shells to how we treat people, I quickly convinced my precious child to keep his attractive, iridescent, and shattered shell. It did not matter how perfect looking or broken it was, he saw the beauty in it. He got so excited about finding this specific iridescent shell that he started collecting that type of shell for years after. A jar of his shells is proudly and purposely perched on a shelf in our home. Every time I look at the jar, it is a reminder to look at others through God’s eyes, and appreciate the beauty in all.
“Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged. For with the judgment you use, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye but don’t notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and look, there’s a log in your eye? Hypocrite! First take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” Jesus said this in Matthew 7: 1-5
Dear Lord, thank You for the reminder that no one is perfect. You are the only perfect one. We are all unique in our own way. Please help me to see others the way You see them, and discover the beauty instead of brokenness in us all. Thank You for turning our brokenness into beauty when we trust in You. Amen.
Fun Facts:
Anna Maria Island:
- AMI is a bird and turtle nesting sanctuary. May through October, sea turtles come ashore to nest.
- The island is approximately seven miles long north and south.
- The first pier on the island named, City Pier, was first built in 1911.
Now, the posting is complete, yet my mind still races with so many thoughts. I’ll save those for another day.
If you are interested in the books, you can find them on Amazon. Just type in my name, Stephanie Shuff.
Blessings to you and yours,
Stephanie