But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us
—2 Corinthians 4:7.
My family and I recently spent a restful week vacationing at the Outer Banks. We rented a cottage by the sea and enjoyed some much-needed time away. We spent quite a bit of time on the beach. Is there any better activity for soul restoration than lying on a secluded beach listening to the ceaseless motion of the waves?
I was frustrated by my futile pursuit of ocean artifacts, until one afternoon toward the end of the week I laid out all the shells we’d collected on a table. While many of the larger shells were indeed broken, and none of the complete shells I had were all that spectacular by themselves, when I merged them all together, I created something that I thought was quite beautiful [see photo].
The next morning, as I sat on the porch of our cottage listening to the surf in the background and further contemplating my shells, an activity I did at a spiritual retreat several years ago. Each person was asked to think of something of which they desired to “let go.” There was a loaf of bread, and as each person named something, they tore off a piece of bread and placed it in a bowl. When we were all done, that bowl was placed at the foot of the cross. As the broken pieces of bread mingled together it became virtually impossible to keep track of which was mine—and I think that was the point. My broken pieces merge with those of the whole world and all God sees is beauty.
After this activity, we celebrated Holy Communion. Although we used a fresh loaf, I saw a connection to the former broken one. What Jesus accomplished on the Cross somehow mends together all our broken pieces into an integrated and healed whole loaf.
The shells in my collection reminded me of those pieces of bread in the bowl. Even the “complete shells” are broken pieces; they are that which a sea creature has “let go.” Sometimes the shell remains after the creature within dies; other times they are that which a creature casts off when it no longer fits them—e.g., crabs do this. They are most vulnerable until they grow a new shell—but without taking this risk they can never grow.
Everywhere in nature, God makes something whole and
beautiful out of broken pieces.
The verse at the beginning from 2 Corinthians comes from a section of the letter where Paul talks about how God has placed the ministry of reconciliation in fragile, vulnerable human hands. Paul explains that God does it this way so there is no doubt that the source of power is God—not us. He later tells his readers (then and now) that we are Christ’s ambassadors, and that God makes his appeal through us—2 Corinthians 5:18-20.
Ponder the metaphor that Paul chooses: God places priceless treasure in rather common earthen vessels like you and me. A well-used earthen vessel has imperfections and will develop cracks, chips, and inevitably, broken pieces—and so do we. But just like the shells in my collection, despite our imperfections—maybe even precisely because of them—God views us all as creations of unspeakable worth and beauty. (Remember that even the risen Christ himself still bore the scars of crucifixion.) If we allow it, the light of God’s love will shine through our broken pieces, as we share God’s message and love with others.
It is through our willingness to be seen as broken pieces
that the world catches glimpses of the Divine.
FOR REFLECTION
• What does God call you to let go of, so that the Divine can shine through your broken pieces?
• Is there a “shell” that cramps your growth right now? Are you willing to risk casting it off? Do you trust God to keep you safe and give you a “new shell”?
• Do you consider your earthen vessel beautiful or do the broken pieces bother you?
• Can you see past individual imperfections in you and others to see the beauty in the collection of broken pieces that make up your community?
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