Every year in late summer, my dad and I go on a trip to see lighthouses. And even though the lighthouses are the focus, there are always extra people and places that add to the trip. I call them bonuses. We have found bonus museums, surprise lighthouses not on the schedule, beaches, and lots of bonus people! And God uses every trip to teach me.
This year we went to the west coast of Michigan. I was most excited about seeing South Manitou lighthouse. Not because of its beauty, but more for the adventure getting there. And I was intrigued by these Leland blue stones that I read about on the beaches in the town we were staying that night.
“The stone is actually a by-product of the iron ore smelting industry that persisted in Leland during the late 1800s. The by-product of smelting is called slag and is created in the purifying process to create iron. As the smelting industry collapsed, the waste was dumped into our Great Lakes and now shows up on our shores in the form of Leland Blue stones.”
So these beautiful stones were formed from waste, the leftovers of the process. I love when God does that! So I knew I had to try to find one. Apparently the rest of the people visiting Michigan also thought so! I was simply an amateur walking up to a scene that resembled the gold rush. I walked along the beach almost up to my knees and looked. After an hour I had found 2 tiny pieces. I remember thinking – what am I doing wrong? So I looked it up. The article stated the best time to find the stones is in the morning, especially after a storm or strong wind. Someone else had also told me, “Don’t be afraid to get out in the water”. Well, there was no storm, I only had a few hours after dinner to look, and I could not put my suit on to wade out. I looked a second time anyway. I found a few more tiny pieces but it still made me smile each time I saw a little piece of blue sitting there in the water completely out of place. Walking along I chatted with God about it, and complained a little about how small the pieces were that I found. He spoke to my heart, reminding me of all the advice I had heard. Look in the morning. After a storm. Wade in deeper.
I didn’t find a big stone that day, but I realized that great advice applied to growing in our faith as well. That to find the most beautiful stones, the bigger treasures, we will probably need to start our day and look for God in the morning before it gets busy. As much as storms seem so hard on us, it is only after them that the big treasures are revealed. And of course, when we stay on the shore, ankle deep, we may only find the tiny pieces of treasure. Still very beautiful, but if we knew what He had for us just a little further out, we would wade out in the deeper, unknown water, trusting what we could not see. I pray that after you have dipped your toes in the cold water at the edge and found a few gems from the Lord, you also would feel the pull to wade out into the uncomfortable deeper water where He is just waiting to show you bigger treasures. And when you go through the storms, that you will rush to Him knowing you will have a treasure in the closeness with your Savior that you could not have had any other way.
