Seashells by the Sea Shore

Hello, folks!  Been awhile since a Daddy post. I’ve just got enough time to do one because of vacation! So, first, an update. We have travelled from OTP (outside the perimeter) of Atlanta, to Amelia Island in Florida. This morning, DW and I went to the beach to experience the sunrise, but all we got was this:

 Not exactly what we wanted, but beautiful nonetheless plus some alone time. J Later on, we had some breakfast and got ready for some sandy fun (DW looks hot in her new swimsuit, by the way). S held my hand the whole walk, and when I asked who made the beach and sand, she responded with, “God.” My daughter is already a theologian, hehe. We ran through the sand, saw a “quarantined” sea turtle nest, descended down a “sand mountain”, walked through a “shell forest,” and finally got our feet in the cold, oh so cold, ocean water. We chased some sandpipers, and of course, I got it on video… sorta:

  

S, DW, M-I-L, and I played for awhile, and I got some pictures:

S enjoyed the beach, but while we were there, I had some serious analogies formulate in my brain. Take a look at this picture:

We have to walk through this to get to the ocean; we called it the shell forest. Most of the shells are broken, small, sharp, ugly, and painful to walk on. In fact, we wear footwear to go over that part. These shells have gone through tremendous struggle to arrive on the beach, and yet, these shells are always overlooked during the search for “seashells by the sea shore.” We always do a hunt for seashells near the tide, because we want to find the perfect, unique shell. Well, as breaking stereotypes is one of my things, I took off my shoes, and began a journey through the shell forest. At first, the shells hurt, but once I got used to it, it was more like a message for my feet, possibly even dermabrasion. Also, I started to change my perspective with the camera, and you know what I found? Beauty.

 In a similar way, I believe this is what happens in many stories of adoption. The family goes through the mountains, through the forests, through the nests, (mainly of paperwork) and finds themselves near the “shore line” looking for the perfect, unique baby to bring home.  What I would like to point out, is that there are thousands of children that are available for adoption through state agencies, and the stigma attached to those children is an illusion. Yes, these children have been through tremendous struggles to be available, and while, at first, it may appear to hurt, or impossible, to search that “forest” for your child, I believe that the journey will find result in only one thing: beauty. The beauty of a family that breaks stereotypes, the beauty of a bunch of different colors in the home, and the beauty of a child, which was formed by God, being held by parents who love them.

 

In the same way, we are like broken shells on the shore of Earth. Many of us have been through struggles and have been beaten down by the waves of life. I want you to know this: God made you in the womb; God has a purpose for your life; God is searching for you through the forest. In fact, God sent His Son to the “beach” to find you. God knows that you are beautiful, and He wants to bring you home. God has already paid for your adoption. God became a man, Jesus Christ, who suffered through the pain of the cross, died, rose from the dead, and is coming again. If you will trust in Him, He will give you the warmth you've been hoping for, the rest you've been aching for, and the belonging you've been searching for.