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by Ami Samuels

  In part one of my Lessons on the Beach series, I wrote about finding the shell on the beach.  I was taught many lessons that day, but this week I would like to look at when God whispered, “Look around.”

That morning when I walked up and down the beach, I believed that God would show me a shell.  I had probably walked past the conch shell two or three times as I strolled up and down the beach, and not noticed it.  I had stopped at a place on the beach that I had deemed the best place to find a shell.  At this particular spot, I could feel stones and rocks gently rolling up on to my ankles, as I stood with my feet in the sand and watched as the cool tide rolled in.  The water washed in rather quickly, and I felt I had to diligently look down at my feet if I were going to find the shell I had asked God for.  My thought was that if I looked away, I might miss what God would show me.

Standing there for about ten minutes, afraid to move for fear I might miss my shell, I felt God whisper “Look around.”  Look around, but this is the best spot?  This particular piece of beach makes the most sense for a shell to roll in.

God’s whisper wasn’t to stand there longer, or to look harder, or to dig deeper, it was “Look around.” But I had tunnel vision.  I was focused on what I thought was best, instead of what God wanted for me.

When I obeyed what God had whispered to me, he showed me something bigger and better than I had hoped for.  Honestly, when asking God to show me a shell, I truthfully was thinking of a shell that would fit in the palm of my hand.  Ephesians 3:20 says “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations for ever and ever!”

In my life I have tried to position myself in the right place, worked hard, and totally frustrated myself in doing what I thought God wanted me to do.  If we listen and obey what he is telling us, it is usually right in front of us.  What God wants is for us to walk daily in a relationship with him.  I have spent too much time trying to figure out God’s plan for my life instead of patiently walking in relationship with him and listening for his guidance.

What if I hadn’t listened that day at the beach, and I had just stood in that same spot?  I may have become aggravated, tired, or bored.  I might have sat down and began to dig. But I wouldn’t have found the shell God had intended for me to find because I was too busy trying to figure it out on my own.

This week, join me as we listen for God’s voice in our lives, his guidance and direction, and obey. God’s direction for my life is taking me out of my comfort zone, a place where I have to completely rely on him, exactly where he wants me to be.

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