I saw this starfish lying on the beach on the first beach walk I took.
I love to walk along the beach. It’s never the same experience twice. I heard this woman ask a lifeguard, “What is swimming today?” He replied, “In the ocean?” She said, “Yes.” He said, “People.” She said, “Are there any critters swimming today?” He said, very politely, “Ma’am, it’s the ocean. There are always critters swimming in it.” I chuckled as I kept walking. We love to go to the ocean, but we don’t necessarily like what may be swimming with us. Sure, there are dolphins, but there are sharks and jellyfish, too. Yet, people return to the ocean year after year, in droves. Why is that? What about the ocean calls to so many of us? Is it the beauty? Is it the never-ending rhythm of the waves? Some say it reminds us of the womb. Who knows? I am one of those who loves the sea. Big waves, no waves, East Coast or West, I find it beautiful and never the same experience twice. On this day, on the Atlantic, I saw a starfish. (Or a sea star, since they aren’t really fish) Sure, I’ve seen dozens of them in souvenir shops, dried out and perfectly preserved, but I had never seen one in the wild. It was beautiful and shiny and perfect. When my daughter scooped it up to toss it back into the ocean, it had hundreds of tiny little legs. Who knew? I snapped a photo and walked on. When I was a little bit further down the beach, I saw this one.
This one had been damaged, with some parts of its arms broken off.
I found this one even more beautiful and here’s why. Starfish have the unique ability to drop an arm and get away if a predator is attacking it. It also has the ability to grow a new one. In fact, most of its vital organs are housed in their arms, so some can regenerate an entirely new starfish from just one arm and a portion of its central disc. It takes about a year for the new growth to make it whole again. This starfish was a survivor. It wasn’t perfect or whole, but it would be again, with time. Aren’t we all like that starfish on the inside? No one sails through life without injury, not physically, but emotionally. We all have wounds and scars, but if we lean into Jesus and give it some time, we can heal. The Bible tells us, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10 Healing takes time. Growth takes time. Both take a lot of work and are sometimes not pleasant, but in the end, we can be whole again through faith and trust in God, and like both of those sea stars, I find that very encouraging. Have an awesome day! Wendy 🙂