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| Source: Unknown |
The petite girl stood in the waves in her pink bikini. Her blonde hair was a wet stringy mess that fell onto her shoulders. Another girl was taking her picture with a phone. The first girl posed, a few times with her hand on her hip, then a couple while she touched her hair. I sat about twenty-five yards away on the beach. I could not see her face, but I could feel her. I knew in my soul that this girl did not simply desire to look beautiful, she wanted to know she was beautiful. Perhaps it was her ultra skinny exterior. Or, maybe it was the way she moved, striving to hit that perfect pose for the camera. I felt that tug on my heart I’ve come to know – the one with God’s fingerprints all over it.
The photographer returned her phone, and I looked away. I wasn’t sure why I was drawn to this girl. Something about her seemed desperate. However, I went back to reading my book. About ten minutes later, the friend I had mom-napped for a day (so we could drive to the ocean and stick our toes in the sand) was standing in the water. Girl-in-Pink approached her holding her camera phone. I watched them interact, unable to hear their words. My friend took Girl-in-Pink’s phone and proceeded to take more pictures of this one who had captured my heart while she stood in the ocean.
When she finished, my friend came back to our beach spot and sat down. We exchanged our observations. This girl was scary thin. I asked about her age. My friend replied that it was difficult to tell because her face was worn – “like she’s led a hard life … you know what I mean?” We watched the girl walk back up the beach, curious to see where she would sit, to find out with whom she had come. As she walked, she seemed to be yelling at herself. Her left hand motioning up and down in quick spurts, as if she was reprimanding someone. She walked to a single towel on the sand, lay on her back, covered her face with her shirt, and appeared to cry.
My heart exploded in my chest. I felt her raw pain more than I saw it. It was strange. There were hundreds of people at the beach this particular day. I had been watching many of them all morning. Yes, I people-watch. Don’t you? Yet, something about this girl struck me. I stood up, walked over to where she lay, and sat in the sand next to her. “Are you okay?”
She removed her shirt from her face. Her cheekbones were sunken and her blue eyes looked hollow. Her eyes glistened with tears, but they held no shine. Dull eyes.
“My name is Cortney. I noticed you were alone and seemed upset. Is there something I can do to help?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“You don’t seem fine… Do you know there is a God who loves you and who wants you to know you’re beautiful?”
She looked at me, caught off guard. I continued, “I don’t believe in coincidences. I think God put me on this beach today for a reason. I was planning to go to the beach just south of here, but at the last minute, I felt strongly that this beach was where I should be. I think God led me here to tell you that He sees you. He loves you, and He wants you to know you’re beautiful.”
Girl-in-Pink’s tears poured, but her eyes were no longer hollow. “Thank you. I needed to hear that.” I prayed for her, stood up, and walked back to my chair.
…
I wish this story were true. I wish I could go back in time – hit the rewind button if you will and play it out to completion as I described above. In reality, I stayed in my chair the whole time. I didn’t act out of obedience as I felt God prompting me to do. Here was a wandering sheep, a lost girl who had no idea that God was watching and caring. My friend and I really did end up spontaneously on that beach that day. We were heading to another location, but my friend and I changed our plans suddenly about twenty minutes from the coast. No reason. Just God.
But, when I felt the whisper of God to reach out to this lost sheep, I didn’t. I wish I had a good explanation. I don’t. I rationalized that it was just me wanting to help everyone, and that it wasn’t God prompting me. I rationalized that they were my thoughts, and my thoughts alone, to reach out to people. So, I ignored those thoughts, thinking, I can’t just talk to everyone I see that seems upset.
Can I share some truth here? The more intimate our relationship with God gets, the more we will start to know and understand His character. The more we know His character, the more we start to think like Him. So, those thoughts were not just mine. Here was a girl in desperate need of affirmation – to know she was not only beautiful, but loved. Isn’t it just like God to want to reach her? Isn’t it just like humanity to stay planted in our seats?
I felt God’s tug and rationalized it away. I ran the other way, acting no differently than Jonah. The pastor of the church I attend asks us this, “What is God prompting you to do?” Then, he follows it up with, “and what are you going to do about it?”
I sat in church the following day, and my own tears threatened to fall. I was not obedient, and as the pastor said the following, “Even reluctant obedience will make a difference,” I was gently reminded (aka convicted) that my word of the year is obedience. I silently repented, apologizing for missing an opportunity to show God’s love to someone who was obviously hurting. Then, I prayed that God would find someone else to reach this girl. That was one of the most difficult and humbling prayers I have ever uttered. “God, I messed up. Please use someone else who will be obedient in order to get your message to this precious daughter of yours.” Ouch. It should have been me.
Next time, I pray it is.
There are wandering sheep in every city, every state, and every country. You don’t have to travel around the world to reach the lost, although you may be called to do so. You’ll find them in your schools, your workplaces, and your neighborhoods … even on the beach. These are the sheep Jesus ran after while He walked the earth as man. They are the sheep we ought to run after too. Our mission is to introduce Jesus to those who don’t know Him. Our target audience should always be the wandering sheep. In fact, it’s not just our mission; it’s The Great Commission.
Prayer - Father God, I’m so sorry. I don’t ever want my disobedience to get in the way of bringing your Good News of Great Joy to others. Thank You for running after us all, not only the wandering sheep, but those sheep who desire to follow you but who mess up and struggle daily with sinful hearts. Your love is everlasting and your grace is not only sufficient but, frankly, undeserved. Yet, that’s what grace is, isn’t it? For that we are so very thankful. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Influenced by the Book of Jonah, Acts 1:8, Jude 23, and Matthew 28:18-20. (There are many other scriptural references and parables told by Jesus about seeking out the lost. These are the specific ones I have studied for this devotion.)
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"Clay Jar Cracked," a new book by Cortney Donelson is now available on Lulu.com, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other retail sites, including e-pub, nook, and kindle versions.
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