It’s a half an hour drive to their house. You pass through a few windy roads and some gravel paths to a home that sits right on the beach. They are an older couple, married for over 30 years full of beautiful moments they let us into. They’ve dedicated their lives to serving the Lord. To think of a time when they had three boys and no home in the cold of Russia, to now sitting in their beautiful beach house with dark wicker chairs and soft cushions in Costa Rica. Their journey is inspiring.
The wife invited us over for a crafternoon. She makes beautiful jewelry that is sold internationally.
She prepared her dining room table as a studio. All her pliers and other tools were in the center. The cords, the metal, the clasps. She thought we could practice wire wrapping. There was a collection of glass beads she had made herself. We were free to choose from her pieces to make necklaces and bracelets.
After we made a few, she asked, “Would anyone like to wire-wrap sea glass?”
My eyes widened. I love sea glass.
It’s essentially trash. The remains of old glass bottles that have been thrown into the ocean. Over time the rough waves smoothen it’s sharp edges and the salt water mattes the glass as it eventually finds its way to the shore.
I love that something broken and forgotten, left with rough edges and considered worth nothing, could be transformed with time into something beautiful.
Into something worn around the neck and carried with you, something to admire, to adore, to prize.
I wrote about placing people in boxes the first month of the race. I questioned what my box was made of. (You can read the full blog here).
“I think of the stones used to build a fortified tower within a castle. Stones are long-lasting and very dense, so it provides sufficient protection. It’s main drawbacks are the weight and difficulty to keep warm. It’s heavy material is exhausting to work with and it’s cold inside, but it feels safe and secure. I know I’ve mistaken a prison for a refuge, but I’ve gotten used to the draft.”
I near the last month of my race. And I can say I now believe my box is made of sea glass.
It appears broken, but is only in the process of transformation. It has experienced struggle as it gets beaten by the waves, but the glass endures. In the process, it’s rough edges are softened. It’s a material that overcomes.
Sea glass is also known as mermaid tears. Tales tell of days of old when mermaids would cry every time a sailor drowned. The glass that washed upon the shore were their tears. A symbol of compassion. Compassion cannot exist without struggle, without the beating of the waves.
I wear the sea glass necklace I made around my neck. I’ve worn it every day since our crafternoon. A reminder of the Lord’s compassion, His enduring love for me. A reminder that I will always overcome because He has overcome.
We are currently in Jaco, Costa Rica, serving at Ocean’s Edge. It started as a surf camp for kids, an avenue to share the Gospel and has grown into so much more. Our days include construction work, painting a mural, ocean and park clean ups, leading Sunday school and kids club, preparing bags of rice and beans, and of course making sure kids don’t drown during surf lessons.
Please find out more about Ocean’s Edge at oceansedge-lifestyle.com
