At my sister’s cottage on Buzzards Bay in Cape Cod, her family is obsessed with finding sea glass. Their eyes are trained to spot the finest treasures along the coastline: colorful, smooth, and beautifully polished by years of tumbling in the waves. Meanwhile, my inexperienced eye finds something entirely different: a piece of glass that is newly broken, jagged, and a far cry from what anyone would call “sea glass.”
ONCE DISCARDED, BROKEN AND SEPARATED
Inside their cottage are several jars filled with sea glass. They welcome every piece, regardless of its shape, color, size, or texture. The wonder is that these ordinary pieces of glass were once discarded, broken, and separated. Yet over time, the waves have transformed them to varying degrees.
CRACKLE GLASS
Crackle glass is one of their favorite treasures. This sea glass develops internal cracks from exposure to significant changes in temperature and pressure. Its intricate network of cracks gives each piece a distinctive appearance. Years of tumbling in the water gradually frost and soften its surface.
A LIFE TOSSED AND TUMBLED
As I sift through these jars, searching for my favorite pieces, I begin to see a reflection of my own life journey. Like sea glass, the loss of my child shattered the life I knew, and waves of grief and sorrow have tossed and tumbled me. The life I once knew was gone, and I find myself facing a new life I never imagined.
RUTH’S SHATTERED LIFE
Do you think that Ruth in the Bible felt the same way? When Ruth lost her husband, grief shattered the life she had known and changed the future she had imagined. When her mother-in-law, Naomi, decided to return to Bethlehem, Ruth faced a choice: return to what was familiar or step into an uncertain future alongside Naomi. Ruth chose the unknown. When Naomi urged her to return to her homeland, Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.” (Ruth 1:16)
GARMENT OF PRAISE INSTEAD OF DESPAIR
Ruth couldn’t see how God would piece her life back together. She simply trusted Him enough to take the next step. Isaiah 61:3 speaks beautifully to this kind of transformation: “And provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” Ruth’s unexpected journey eventually brought new life, a new family, and a place in the lineage of King David. What began in grief became part of a beautiful story she could never have imagined.
THE BEAUTY OF THE CRACKS
The menagerie of sea glass in those jars reminds me that I am still me. I have endured brokenness, and God is reshaping me through the waves. Just like the crackle glass, the cracks remain, reminders of what I have endured, but not defining who I am.
NOT FORGOTTEN!!!!
How about you? Is your sea glass jagged, crackled, or polished? Wherever you are in the process, remember: reshaping can be painful, but it does not mean God has forgotten you. In time, what begins as an ordinary broken piece of glass can become a treasured piece of sea glass—shaped by the waves, softened by the journey, and transformed into something beautiful. Will you offer your broken glass to Him and allow him to reshape your life?
For further reading click: The Story of Ruth in the Bible – Bible Stories | Bible Study Tools