Salt & Stone
We could hear the power of the Pacific waters as we hopped out of our car. My husband Michael and I were spending the evening on Rialto Beach - one of our favorite places tucked away on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. (if you haven’t been, you must go!) This stone and sand beach is unlike any other because of the graveyard of giant redwoods that wash ashore; their bark is bleached white by tides that cast them into the sands - their branches are splintered and shattered. They’ve traveled hundreds of miles to come to this resting place, and even through the breaking and tumbling, there was a unique beauty that lay within the cracks and gnarled trunks.
As we continued our walk, sunlight was glistening off the ocean and sea winds were racing through the trees along the forest edge. It was a beautiful evening - just about perfect even - and God was already at work, waiting for us to notice Him amidst the landscape - a storyteller already captivating us through what lay before us.
Each step brought with it remarkable details - colorful shells, starfish and tidepools, little treasures that I couldn’t help but marvel over. But one specific thing consistently covered the beach and continued to catch our curiosity. Our footsteps were surrounded by rocks - some bigger than my head and others just little pieces that could fit in my palm. We bent down to feel out exactly what they were. (being the rock lover I am, let’s be real, I just wanted to see how many I could fit in my pockets to take home.)
As we filled our hands, we noticed how immensely light and smooth these rocks were. They didn’t have the usual weight of small stones or the granular texture most rocks hold. Studying them closer, we noticed lines running all around each one - like wood grain - and when the waves came up and gathered a few, to our dismay, they floated.
Could they be something other than rocks? We looked at the looming forest behind us, at the fallen giants cast ashore, those branches that had been twisted and broken…and it hit us.
This WASN’T rock. It was WOOD! Wood that had been so greatly tumbled over and over in the cold waters of the Pacific. What was once rough bark, was now beautifully smoothen wood that was crafted, refined, and renewed. I was in awe. (and admittedly my pockets got much heavier with these little treasures!)
I couldn’t help but reflect on the journey these remarkable “wood rocks” had been through. Refined by salt, cast upon rocks and coral, turned in the tides, these pieces of wood had no idea how beautifully unique they would become. But it took work to get there - it took smoothing out edges that were too sharp, sanding down what was too prominent, and breaking down what was no longer needed.
In the quiet moments as the new year dawns, there is a sense of anticipation, a yearning for change that seems to echo collectively in our hearts. It's a time when resolutions are made, goals are set, and the desire for personal refinement takes center stage. Yet, in the midst of our aspirations for self-improvement, it's time to remember that God is also at work, refining us in His own way.
I encourage you, in your planning, hoping, and dreaming, do not let your plans overshadow the work God is doing in your life. His hands are gentle yet firm, molding us into vessels capable of carrying His grace, love, and purpose. The process of refinement is not always comfortable; it requires surrender and trust. It's an acknowledgment that, just as the potter shapes the clay, God is shaping us into something beautiful.
"Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand."
Isaiah 64:8
Just as those rock stones had been shaped by the ocean waters - made into something new and beautiful - we too are carefully molded by our Abba who loves us so deeply.
As we embark on this new year, let us embrace the divine process of refinement with open hearts. Trusting God means allowing Him to chisel away the rough edges, to smooth out the imperfections, and to transform us into vessels of His glory. It will be uncomfortable, sometimes even painful, but It's an invitation to yield to His guidance, understanding that His plans for us far exceed our own.
In the journey of refinement, there may be moments of challenge and uncertainty. Yet, it is precisely in those moments that our faith is strengthened and our character is deepened. (Francesca wrote beautifully about this last week - please let it pour into you as you go back and study it!) The Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 8:28 that "in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Even in the refining process,
God is working for our ultimate good.
So, as we pen our resolutions and set our goals for the new year, let us not forget that God is an active participant in our transformation. Let the passing of this year be just another reminder to consistently invite Him into our 2024. When things get hard, that is our cue to LEAN INTO the arms of our Father as the “waves'' crash in around us. Let us fall to our knees in prayer when we feel the “salt” sanding down our rough edges. Plan and dream, but leave room so the “tides” can bring us where God intends for us to go.
Embrace the journey of refinement with gratitude, knowing that through His loving hands, He is making something beautiful out of us. Trust in His plan, for He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion. May this new year be a window for God’s light and love to brilliantly shine through in your life!
Jeremiah 29:11-13
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
