Have you ever looked at something that you’ve seen dozens of times a day for years and suddenly see something you’ve never seen before? That happened to me this week. I love the lessons we get when we allow our minds to go where God leads us.

I had been preparing for my women’s retreat that was to be held this weekend and hadn’t had time to prepare for this episode.  Oh, I tried, but none of the ideas seemed to land and it all seemed so forced.  

So I prayed about it. I mulled it over. I even started writing on an entirely different topic. But as I was getting ready one morning, I looked at my bowl of seashells and saw it in an entirely new way. 

At first, I focused on the small vial that holds tiny seashells an old boyfriend had given me nearly 40 years ago. He knew how much I loved the ocean and had sent them to me as a memento of the beach, a place I longed for even back then but rarely get to go to. 

I’ve always been fascinated with the perfect miniatures of various shapes of seashells in the little vial.  Sure, they remind me of a time long ago when I thought I was in a relationship that would last forever.  What I didn’t know back then was that relationship was essentially already over. 

Looking at those tiny shells this week reminded me not of that last day that boyfriend and I had spent at the beach together, but instead that God had a plan that was so much bigger than the one I had my heart set on. As much as I thought I wanted to stay in that relationship, God had a different life for me that far exceeded anything I could have ever imagined. He had a promise for something more. 

How amazing is it that in a week when I thought things weren’t going my way, God answered my prayer at exactly the right moment in a manner I could not have created on my own? Taking something that was always right before my eyes and showing me a lesson I needed to learn is so like Him, isn’t it? 

You see, I’d been feeling disappointed that my retreat hadn’t generated the response I had hoped for. Even though I was excited that three ladies were coming, in my mind I was certain there should have been so many more. I should have known that the intimacy of that smaller group would take us to a deeper level of conversation than a much larger group would have allowed.  

It really was perfect just the way it was. And looking at those tiny shells reminds me that God has a promise for something more in store for me now, too. My tiny retreat was perfect the way it was, but it wasn’t all that God has in store for me.  And it wasn’t all he had in store for the ladies who attended that day. 

The bowl is full of shells from so many beaches that I’ve traveled to.  I love looking at the different shapes and sizes and even enjoy admiring those that are broken and incomplete.  Even in their brokenness, they are beautiful.  Much like us.  We may feel broken and incomplete at times, but in reality, we are perfect just the way we are. Once we accept that life doesn’t have to look perfect and people don’t have to be fixed for us to love them, life can be so much more real. 

There is also a pretty turquoise piece of glass that is as smooth as a stone in my little bowl.  My three-year-old grandson loves that little piece of glass. Every time he comes to my house he’ll come play with it while I’m getting ready for the day.  It makes me smile because it reminds me of the time that my grandmother and I spent together when I wasn’t much older than he is now.

The things that I fell in love with at her home were just random things that had little value, but one that I particularly loved was a giant seashell she had gotten on one of her many trips. I put that shell to my ear to listen for the ocean so many times, I’m certain I used up any sound of the sea that may have ever been in it.  I got that seashell after she died and although it doesn’t fit in my little bowl, I see it on the shelf every now and then and when I do it makes me smile to think of my precious Grandma Marie.

I sure hope when my grandson sees a shiny turquoise piece of glass down the road it will cause him to think of me and those mornings he would spend playing as I got ready. I also hope he can see that God’s promise for is life is bigger than anything he could imagine for himself.

The last thing that makes my little bowl of seashells so special is the bowl itself.  It is a beautiful crystal bowl my sister gave me when I turned 40. I remember thinking it seemed pretty frivolous for a girl who isn’t really into crystal, but I found the swirl design actually looks like waves and it became the perfect place for my treasured collection. That it came from my sister just makes it that much more special.  

The fact that God placed a longing for the sea on my heart is no accident.  He knew that it would be a connection that would be woven through all the seasons of my life despite living my entire life inland. 

The reminders of His promises for my life from the tiny shells, the broken and incomplete shells, the colored glass and the crystal bowl all come together to tell a story that lives in my heart and brings joy to my soul.  God had a promise for something more for me and he does for you too. 

I feel so blessed that I said yes despite the uncertainty of what the promise would look like. But it feels very right. 

There is a peace in it not unlike that peace I get standing at the shoreline looking into the horizon and seeing nothing but water until it turns into the sky. 

Are you living the life He promised you? 

Do you have that peace that passes all understanding? 

Or maybe you’ve missed cues that He’s given you that shows He has a promise for something more in your life.

It’s not too late you know. 

Maybe He’s giving you a message in something that is right before your very eyes, but you’re not seeing it. 

Open your heart and your mind to the moments, big and small that may be leading you to something bigger or simply just begging to be acknowledged as something simple but of real value. 

You get to live the life you have only until now dreamed about. It doesn’t have to be a drastic change, but it will require some action on your part. You have to take the first step. If you need some help with that, let me know. I’d love to have a conversation to see if I can help you discover your path to more.  Find me at vonajohnson.com. 

I’m currently taking applications to fill only 8 to 10 coaching spots I have open in January.  I have some pretty awesome bonuses’ for those who are ready to say yes to their best self this month.  Reach out today to learn more about how to apply and how to get a month of free coaching and a bonus of my favorite planner for 2020. 

I hope to talk to you soon.

Until then, thank you for listening today. It means everything to me. If you know of someone who needs to hear about their promise for something more, please share this with them.  I could mean everything to them too. 

Thank you again. Go, be blessed, and live your more!