As I have noted, I lost my reading brain last year. It is just beginning to come back. One of my favorite books is a book some of you know of called Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. Jesus Calling is a daily devotional, perfect for short nuggets of truth, Biblical uppers which remind one of important promises. Texas Belle gave me a fancy edition which I love because it is large print. In addition to losing my brain, I am losing my eyesight. You can also get the Jesus Calling app for your phone. Bea Long gave me one too that’s by my bed. Even this easy practice evades me frequently.
But today I picked up my book and this snippet of Wisdom spoke directly to my heart: “I speak to you from the depths of your being. …. I speak to you in love-tones, lifting you up. My Spirit convicts cleanly, without crushing words of shame [emphasis mine]. …. Be transformed by the truth that I live within you.”
This morning I took my yoga class to the beach. As it was thunder storming outside, we laid our mats down the studio floor. Each student picked a shell from my collection. If you can’t find God in a shell, I don’t know what to tell you. Think about it: The hard exterior protects our soft insides. A pearl is born of irritation and friction from the depths of our gushy innards. How often do you hide your true selves with a complex outer layer to shield our truest self?
Some shells are smooth, others spiny, bumpy, or rough. Some have crusty ridges. Some are plain and others are iridescent or colorful. Large or small, curling or flat. You get the idea. God loves variety. Within each shell there is order. How would you describe your shell? Do you honor it?
Johnny Nash‘s Mr. Sea made an appearance on the playlist as did Miley Cyrus‘ Malibu and the Eli Young Band‘s Saltwater Gospel. There was a little Antonio Carlos Jobim bossa nova to boot. When the class was over, it was a bright, sun shiney day. When my class leaves happy and relaxed, I know I have done my job. Inside I am mentally jumping for joy, fistpumping the Universe, giving thanks, and loving the shell that houses me just a little bit more for carrying me through another hour in the ebb and flow of life.
Memoirs of an Expat Princess 
I can not wait to see you and your yoga class!! Really impressed!
Very good post. Jobim matches yoga perfectly, in my opinion!
Great post- I loved it! My shell is maybe kind of rough and barnacle-y. It also may be kind of spikey like a conch. Inside though, in the secret spaces, I think it is beautiful.