Starfish

Per my mother's request and per my own love for this particular topic, I think today's blog will address starfish. Some of you have heard this story and my love for it, and to some of you this will be a new detail about Katie Sue, but either way, I hope you look at starfish differently after reading this blog.

I have a discussion with my students about personal symbols as an introduction to symbolism in literature. It is very easy for them to relate the idea of symbology to tattoos. I ask them if they were to get a tattoo, what would it be? This is a fun discussion to have with them and of course the conversation always turns to if I have any tattoos and if I were to get one what would it be. Well, I definitely don't have any tattoos (my personal belief is that someday all parts of my body will sag, so why have a saggy image to remind me of my aging body?), but if I were to get a tattoo it would be of a starfish. The students always ask me why (because obviously I've grilled them in the same manner to get them to realize the symbology) and I tell them this story...

In one of my favorite books "Captivating" by John and Stasi Eldredge, Stasi tells a story about their trip to California. One afternoon John went out to the beach to spend some time in prayer. When he returned, he was elated to tell Stasi about the precious blessing God had given him. While sitting on the beach, a whale had swam in front of him and played for over an hour. The whale did flips in the ocean and danced in the movement of the waves! How magnificent was this experience of God's creation?! John couldn't believe how God had revealed His beauty to him!

Stasi was thrilled for John and eager to experience God in the same way. So the next day she walked out onto the beach and sat for an hour looking for a whale. She panned the ocean hoping to catch a glimpse of what her husband had seen the day before. After several hours of watching and waiting, Stasi began walking back to camp, dejected that God didn't want to bless her the way He had so graciously blessed her husband. Why didn't God want her to experience His beauty? She went there looking for Him and He didn't show up. Why would He neglect her? (These thoughts are familiar to me...)

As she walked up a hill toward camp, she looked down to discover a starfish. Wow, that's beautiful! she thought, but she kept walking. As she reached the crest of the hill, she looked down onto a pool full of starfish! Starfish of every color, size and pattern! So beautiful that they, each one, took her breath away! As she continued to gawk at God's beautiful creation she realized that sometimes God has different blessings in mind than the ones we imagine for ourselves. Just because God doesn't give us the blessing we're looking for doesn't mean He isn't blessing us. And sometimes that blessing is far more beautiful than the one we seek for ourselves!

After reading this story, my mom and I discussed our love for this tale. "Starfish" became our term for hidden blessings, not so much that we have to search for the blessing as much as open our eyes to blessings God has already placed in our day. So now my mom and I exchange emails praying "starfish" for each other, reminding one another to open our eyes to what God has designed as blessings for us. We hide starfish in various places for the other to find, so that we will be prompted to be vigilant in our quest for joy amidst our busyness or frustrations. Starfish remind us that God desires for us to have life and have it abundantly, not just survive life. But that looks different for each one of us, so we need to be aware of the ways in which God chooses to anoint us.

Brief tale to paint a clearer picture. Last year Herb and I went to a wedding in California. It had been quite the horrible day, starting with running around trying to accomplish the last minute details and ending with a realization that I'd forgotten my Bible (I was supposed to be a scripture reader in the ceremony). Nothing was going well and to top it all off, Herb had forgotten underwear and I had forgotten jewelry for my outfit, so I needed to find a Target in an unfamiliar town. Herb located it on the Internet; I thought I could get there based on his directions, but now I was lost! I never did find a Target, but I found a Ross and decided to run in (after searching for 10 minutes to find a parking spot!) With 45 minutes until the ceremony, I was frantically running through Ross when I saw them. There in front of me were a pair of starfish earrings! And I knew, God was with me, it was all going to be okay, and I would find blessing in the chaos of the day. Later as I told my mom this story, she began to tear up. After inquiring why she explained that at that exact time she had been praying that God would provide a "starfish" (figuratively) for me and He had been gracious enough to grant me a "starfish" (literally). What an awesome story of God's provision!

Suffice it to say starfish are my personal symbol. They are a constant reminder that God desires to give me abundant life, and often His ways and dreams are bigger than mine would be for myself. This was only enhanced when I heard it told that teachers are often like a woman walking down the beach throwing one starfish at a time back into the water. When someone asked her why she would do something so futile when there were so many others that she couldn't rescue, she replied that her efforts were important to that one. I was meant to have starfish all along! Whether they be blessings and glimpses of God's beauty in my day or whether they be students whose lives I touch, starfish will always carry great meaning in my life!