Stephanie Trowbridge

I sat on the edge of the ocean, sunlight glistening off the surface, surrounded by beauty. I was up early, like usual. My morning routine consistent, even while on vacation. My toes were broken on my left foot which decreased my love of early morning workouts. I sat, instead, exhausted and overwhelmed. My journal in hand and my Bible beside me, I had no ambition to do anything I came to do.

I did crave this quiet. The beautiful colors of the ocean and sunrise distracted the bustling in my mind. The sand, although white in all the pictures, looked dirty and green. As I sat on the lounge chair I saw resort employees wracking the sand. Loads of seaweed had remained when the tide went out. Unable to wash back to sea, it remained heavy and limp, now a waste to the picturesque landscape. 

The employees had tall boots on and large hats. They looked like the zoo keepers depicted in Curious George stories. They worked diligently until the sand was restored to it’s beautiful white nature. As vacationers woke up and rushed for their prime chairs, I contemplated several things.

The first, I don’t know how to relax. I have productive goals to accomplish while relaxing. I don’t remember the last time I felt well and just watched a movie without having school work to complete or photos to edit. This is definitely something I want to work on. I’m doing my best to not write down a list of todos about it. While on vacation I managed to read two books. I guess that’s something!

The second, what we perceive something to be may just have been scrubbed clean on the outside. Just like the white sandy beaches, life is peppered by other things. We all have to brush our teeth and make ourselves presentable in the morning. What we see on social media, or hear in “how-to” podcasts, have all been prepared. As a photographer, I make sure my pictures I post represent my best. We all do it. Comparing our lives with others just doesn’t make sense. We compare our seaweed covered sand to the white beaches of someone else’s presentation.

The third, in my faith tradition, every morning is new in which God lavishes His mercies upon HIs people. Although I have chosen to give my life to Jesus, to let Him be the author of my story, I can’t keep myself beautifully without error. I believe that in the mornings, instead of piles and piles of seaweed, He goes to work to clear up the layers and to bring new opportunities to move forward. Forgiveness is there. Being set “right” is there. When I remain in Him, my seashore shows beauty instead of ashes, white beaches instead of blemishes and gentle reminders of His goodness instead of slipping on the grim I’ve left behind. 

I hope you find your white beaches today, relax a bit and be content in who you are, not in what you see around you.

Best-

ST