Broken Sand Dollars Speak Truth

Tami and I were on one of our walks on the beach last night, enjoying our alone time, taking in the scenic view of the Pacific Ocean and collecting our sea glass, shells and sand dollars.  As we gathered only the perfect tokens of sea life, I made this silly comment, "...babe, why not take the broken sand dollars, don't they have any value to you?"  You see, Tami actually brings these things home, washes them and places them in our house to give it the...you know -- the, the...beach feel!  Her comment: "...no, only the perfect ones!" 

Well, being one that roots for the underdog, I began to collect all the broken sand dollars I could find - and you know, there were plenty of them hanging out.  As I was collecting all the scarred ones I could find, initially to place them strategically in the house to see if Tami would notice my rebellious spirit, a thought came to me: all of us are broken to some extent.  Then, Isaiah 61 came to mind that states the Lord will come to heal the broken hearted.  I also remembered the passage that states Jesus didn't come to heal those who are well.  Rather, He came to heal those who are sick.  As I contemplated this truth, I began thinking of the broken and scarred sand dollars we call humanity and the overt dismissal & invalidation this culture seems to receive from those who behave like they've arrived.  My heart was grieved and convicted at the same time, knowing full well I've been on the judgmental side of the tracts far too many times.

Last Friday, I had a ride-along with my buddy named Richard, a police officer with the MBPD.  As a chaplain for the PD, I have such a great time hanging out with the team at the station and really do care about these great public servants.  Richard is no exception, he's a fantastic person and his heart for people is second to none.  Our day was filled with a bomb scare, a domestic violence call and a ticket here and there.  Well, the highlight of the day was our trip to the park to meet what Richard called, "The Citizens of Morro Bay."  There were about 8 of them - homeless folk; or, broken sand dollars, if you will, that simply needed love and attention.  As we got out of the car, one gal came over and gave Richard this hug of gratitude; the rest of the folks called my friend by name and thanked him for coming by. 

I was humbled and blessed at the same time; humbled because these folks are real people, with real needs and behind every one of them was a real story.  Blessed because I meet some really cool people that impacted me in amazing ways.  And, the value of this lesson didn't come to fruition until I began collecting sand dollars that were broken and scarred, all alone on the wet sand on the strand in Morro Bay.  You see, broken sand dollars are all over the shore in Morro Bay.  And, likewise, there are broken people all over Morro Bay, Los Angeles, New York, Ethiopia - all over the place.  Broken people that just need to be believed in, loved on, given respect and held up in dignity & told they can win!

And, this is why Jesus came - the heal the broken hearted, to give them beauty for ashes, oil of joy for mourning and a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.  Friend, can we admit that we haven't arrived and may we, this week, find one broken sand dollar to invest our time and life in?  I pray so - personally, I'm going to look for Denny, a homeless guy that wants to borrow my propane stove...

 

Broken and Scared Sand Dollars!