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Beach Debris

On a beautiful, breezy Saturday morning, a group of church members banded together at a local beach near Melbourne, Florida to begin cleaning up the beach. They posted their church flags at the entrance to the beach, donned their shirts "Give Your Faith Flight", and most importantly put on gloves and off they went. From cigarette butts to an old buoy, these families collected trash. As the beach waves rolled in, large planes could be seen flying in and out of a large air force base nearby. Dolphins were seen jumping in and out of the water, seagulls were desperately searching for food, and residents were enjoying the sun after a season of winter. What a beautiful day and what a beautiful beach.

Isn't it interesting that at such a beautiful beach, there is so much trash? I couldn't help but think about the picture in my mind of my own life. What is on the outside, is not what God is looking at or really interested in. He is looking at the possible cast nets, old fishing wire, and debris that litters my heart. What attempts have I truly made to pick up the trash in my own life? What does my heart look like after letting beach goers in without placing trash bins around? How often have i tried to pick up a piece here and there, but I have not made a definite commitment to do a "walk-a-bout" each day and make sure I cleaned out the debris. Because of that, my beautiful heart may mimic a scene of chaos with junk scattered all over the shore line. It doesn't just affect me though. Just as trashed shore lines can affect the marine life nearby, so my littered heart can affect all those around me. The cost can be great as it seeps into and steals my happiness, peace, and even my soul.

Isaiah 45:18 says "For the Lord is God, and he created the heavens and earth and put everything in place. He made the world to be lived in, not to be a place of empty chaos, "I am the Lord", he says, "and there is no other".

The time comes in our life when we realize that the debris is too high, the waves are too close, and if we don't stop running and clean up our hearts, our lives will continue to be empty and in shambles. Maybe it seems too late, but isn't it great that we don't have to clean up the trash on our own? We are never alone. He walks along side us as we pick up the big buoys and the small cigarette butts and place them into a big bucket. He takes the buckets from our hands, gives us a water and a hand sanitizer and says he will take it from here.

God Bless!

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