The Greatest Proof in the Smallest Form

You know those days where you feel the humidity all around you? Almost as if you were wrapped in not-so-tasty, wet cotton candy, sticky, and overpowering. It was that kind of humidity that could make the most beautiful days into the most annoying days. That was that day.

Lulu sat defeated on the beach. She had tried with everything she had within her to get her “person”, Fred, to understand how much God loved him. She made sure the sunlight sneaked in through his window early in the day to give him a good morning kiss. However, he turned in disgust and hid his face in the pillow. She tried to make his tea extra sweet that morning by breaking the clumps in the sugar so it could flow smoothly into his tea. She hadn’t accounted for the fact that he was used to the clumps. So, now, on the kitchen counter, sat a perfectly good tea with a sugar mountain too high to be dissolved.

“I think he would be closer to you if I wasn’t messing up all the time”, Lulu looked at the sky where she knew He could hear her. “I think you need to send someone in”.

“My dear,” the sky beamed, “you think too much”.

“I don’t understand why you get us to try so hard. We know You are perfect. Humans though, they are so complicated. So broken. So…” Lulu stopped to search for a word, “Well humans are so humans”.

If one had stayed very still, almost withholding a breath, they would have been able to see the water jump up and down as the sky sighed.

Will, oh ever loyal Will, overheard Lulu and Him talking. “I agree”, said Will. “Humans are so complicated. They ask for a sign, and they ignore it when You give it to them. They are too human”.

The water drew towards the sky almost as if He was taking a breath before speaking.

“Lulu, do you see that seashell?” the voice from the sky asked.

Lulu took a perfectly formed seashell between her fingers. Will, wanting to participate, looked for a seashell as well, and found one that had been shaved down to a delicate, thin shape.

“Humans who are too human are like the shell Lulu has”, the voice spoke calmly. “They are strong. They are hard on the outside but soft on the inside. They can be surrounded by the sand and tossed by the sea, but they still look like shells. Humans who are too human are like Jesus. Strong on the outside and beautiful on the inside. The world placed the weight on his shoulders. He was beaten. He was hit. However, even the greatest disfigurement did not take his humanity away. He loved God above all things. Humans were made to be good. Humanity is not a flaw.”

Lulu listened intently as she cleaned off the shell.

“On the other hand, those who are crushed by the world are like the shell Will is holding”.

Will looked at the delicate thing he held in his palm.

“It looks soft, and it looks beautiful. Despite its beauty, it is not strong. A little storm will cause it to break”.

As the voice said that, the shell flew out of Will’s hand and got stuck in the sand. When Will tried to pick it up, the shell crumbled in his fingers.

“Every lie, every sin, every step they take away from their Creator, the more they lose their humanity”.

Lulu sensed the saddened tone of the voice from the sky.

“They set their humanity as their limit. They say they are ‘only human’ when they fail. They don’t realize that their humanity is their greatest gift. When they were created, they were good.  Jesus went down and gave His life for humans. Don’t they know they are never alone? Don’t they know I will pick them up when they fall? ” The voice of the sky was silent, and the world held its breath until He spoke again. “Don’t give up Lulu, just always remind him I’m there”.

Lulu looked at the shell she had been admiring on her open palm. She noticed a piece of sand stuck to one of the ridges. She softly tried to remove it with her nail, but a piece of the shell came off. The new, small gap crossed off one of the long ridges making it look like a small cross.

When she turned around, she felt Fred walking on the beach. The humidity was gone. There was a soft, salt-smelling breeze that invited him to continue his walk along the sand. Lulu put the shell back on the sand and hugged her knees praying for strength to show Fred he was loved. At that moment, he knelt beside Lulu without noticing her, as if he had a choice in noticing her, and picked up the shell Lulu had put on the sand. He fell to the sand, defeated, as if the world had done its worst to him. He put his head on the sand and looked at the sky. With both hands, he lifted the small shell to the light to examine it.  Almost immediately, he noticed that the sun shone through a small cross formed by a small hole crossing one of the ridges. He smiled.

Lulu looked at him attentively.

“You know, God,” Fred started to say, “I feel like the storm really hit my heart this time. It’s good to know you are always around to catch me”.

Will smiled as he saw Lulu beam with Fred’s commentary.

“They know He loves them”, he said sweetly.

“Yeah”, said Lulu, “sometimes they just need a little reminder”.