VOICE OF TRUTH FOR TODAY
Perfect Sand
Early one morning at the beach, a man carefully rakes the sand. He removes branches, sea grass, rocks, and broken shells until perfect, evenly spaced lines stretch across the surface. It’s peaceful. Pristine. Undisturbed. But it won’t stay that way for long.
Soon birds will leave footprints. Children will run across it. Vacationers will walk toward the water. Perhaps a turtle will crawl across it to bury her eggs.
And isn’t that exactly what the sand is for?
Sometimes I wonder if we approach our lives like that man with the rake. We work so hard to make everything orderly and predictable. We protect our plans and boundaries, hoping nothing—or no one—will disturb our carefully smoothed sand. But what if the disruptions we’re resisting are exactly what God wants to use?
The difficult family member. The neighbor who needs us. The conversation we’ve avoided. The interruption that doesn’t fit our schedule.
Scripture reminds us, “To obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22, NKJV).
God may allow our “perfect sand” to become unsettled because He’s producing something deeper than comfort. He is shaping our character, strengthening relationships, and teaching us to surrender our plans to Him.
Paul understood this. His life was anything but smooth, yet surrendering daily to Christ produced extraordinary fruit. Anything of eternal value requires room for God to move—even when His movement leaves footprints across our plans. So perhaps it’s time to toss aside the rake.
Let God disturb the sand. Welcome the interruptions He sends. And trust that His version of a beautiful life may be wonderfully messier than ours. May we discover supernatural peace when our perfect sand is no longer perfect—and stays that way.
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Excerpt from Voice of Truth Magazine
“Perfect Sand” by Stephanie J. Fincher