Something that many would have considered ugly and useless has become unique and beautiful.
On a recent trip to Jekyll Island on the Georgia coast, my family visited a place called Driftwood Beach. For the most part, it isn’t really driftwood. It’s actually huge oak trees and some pines that have either been eroded by the ocean or have blown in from storms.
So, it’s a beach littered with many dead trees. There’s nothing exciting or beautiful about dead trees. Right?
But, in this case, the trees have been left alone, untouched by man, and nature has done its work. The wood has been bleached white and dried out by years of sun and salt and the results are stunning.
The surreal landscape makes you want to explore.
I had never seen anything like it and I couldn’t put my camera down. Every step and turn produced something else that had me mesmerized. Tiny beach creatures had made their homes among the trees. The living readily embraced the tree skeletons.
People get married on that beach around those trees. I am told that photographers from around the world come to photograph them. The light is supposed to be particularly stunning at sunrise.
It amazed me how art had been created by simply letting nature take its course. When man stepped out and let nature step in, uncommon beauty reigned.
I don’t think man could ever create art like this.
I thought about Driftwood Beach, long after our trip and I have looked through my pictures dozens of times. They don’t even begin to capture the spirituality of the place. I thought about how our lives often seem littered with a bunch of dead and useless, driftwood type baggage.
I thought about how we often hate that baggage or are ashamed of it and try to do anything to get rid of it on our own. We often fail miserably creating even a bigger mess in the process.
But, what if we gave all of that driftwood, that baggage, to God and let Him do something beautiful with it? What if we placed it at the foot of the cross and asked Him to redeem it? What kind of beautiful things could He create if we only trusted Him?
What if we truly believed that we are loved and treasured and when we repent and ask for forgiveness, not only are we truly forgiven, but our past mistakes can become canvases for God’s grace?
What if we let go of our desire to try to fix things and let the Creator of the universe create beauty among our ashes?
Driftwood Beach is a reminder that He’s a master craftsman. We simply need to surrender and get out of His way.
Perhaps you needed reminding today.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂