It just came to me today that there won’t be any seashells in Heaven. Imagine that! My hobby of seashell hunting will be no more. How do I know? I know, because there is no death in Heaven.
I’ve collected seashells for as many years as I’ve gone to the beach. I don’t really know what draws me to them other than their unusual shapes, textures, and color. I don’t think about their nasty smell as I am excitedly searching for the next “treasure.” Nor do I think about the fact that they are nothing more than empty tombs of what once was living.
The shells that I choose must be perfect, without cracks or missing parts. This means that the creature wasn’t damaged by the tumultuous throws of the ocean currents, waves, or other sea creatures.
One of my happiest beach memories occurred on the last day of a Spring vacation. My daughter and I stopped at Fort Myers Beach on the way home from Sanibel. There had just been a terrible storm earlier that morning. As we approached the beach, to which we’d never been, I seriously couldn’t believe my eyes!!!! There were thousands of gloriously huge, normally difficult to find, shells literally caked all up and down the beach! Well yes, we grabbed our bags and filled them up! Then, we went to my vehicle for more empty bags, of course! My heart still races just thinking about that day. I remember saying, “Awe this is like Heaven!” What was I thinking? Perhaps, I was thinking of Heaven’s beauty or the excitement of the place…not that it’s shelly.
Some of my seashells are displayed in special vases. Others are kept in organized containers where I can quickly find the perfect one while making crafts. No matter how I use them, when I look at them, I can’t help but be reminded of what a great God we serve that continuously creates billions of such intricate works all around the world each day.
Yet, God doesn’t collect shells. He is in the business of collecting people from all walks of life. He isn’t particular about perfection like I am. He intentionally chooses the broken, the ugly, the dirty, and the castaways. Why? It’s simple really. There are no perfect people for him to choose. Also unlike my keeping of seashells, he doesn’t keep the shells of humans. He leaves them behind. He takes the souls “the insides” of humans and reshapes them into something more beautiful than they have ever been!
Like the placement of my shells, God puts some souls on display in society. They are the ministers, musicians, missionaries, etc. God puts them in view to the public in order that he is magnified and glorified. Other people are placed in specific areas of life to be used quietly behind the scenes, while giving him the glory and praise.
Take heart friends! God is lovingly searching for you today! Don’t pretend to be “your own kind of perfect. Let him transform your life into something beautiful and be willing to be used by your creator while on this side of Heaven!
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17
