While we were in Hawaii, I (Holli) spent a lot of time collecting shells.
The first shell I found was beautiful. Whole. Large. Complete.
And after that I was excited… After finding that shell right away, I thought the rest of the day was going to be full of treasures just like it…
But for the next couple of hours, almost everything I found was broken pieces. Tiny fragments. Worn edges. Pieces with holes. Pieces that looked incomplete.
And as always, in full transparency… I was getting frustrated!!
I remember walking the beach talking to the Lord about it. And I felt Him begin showing me something much deeper than shells (as He always is willing to do).
He reminded me that many of us spend our lives thinking wholeness is something we are trying to earn, achieve, or finally arrive at someday.
But what if wholeness was already placed inside of us from the beginning?
And what if the "pieces" we gather through life are actually the wisdom, revelation, healing, relationships, courage, strategy, skills, and experiences needed for the next steps of our assignment?
Then another thought hit me. None of them were wasted.
And honestly, even the broken pieces still brought beauty, curiosity, and adventure to the experience. I was still excited to find them, pick them up, study them, and add them to my collection.
Some had unique colors. Some had intricate patterns. Some were tiny reminders that there had once been something whole attached to them.
And immediately I started thinking about convergence.
How many things in our lives have we dismissed because they felt random, unfinished, insignificant, painful, disconnected, or small?
- The hard seasons.
- The unexpected detours.
- The skills we picked up along the way.
- The conversations.
- The disappointments.
- The relationships.
- The risks we took.
- The seasons that felt fragmented.
But what if God wastes nothing?
What if the pieces matter because eventually they come together into something fuller than we could see while we were collecting them?
Then something happened that marked me. My stepsister walked up and handed me the exact shell I had secretly been hoping to find. It was perfect.
And I immediately noticed hesitation rise up in me because she found it…not me.
But right there on the beach, I felt the Lord whisper something so simple and so deep:
"Part of walking in wholeness is learning to receive."
Receive help. Receive kindness. Receive provision. Receive wisdom. Receive partnership. Receive what Heaven sends your way.
What made the moment even more meaningful was that my stepsister isn't a Christian, and yet I was able to plant seeds and tell her that I genuinely felt like the Lord used her generosity to bless me in that moment.
I really believe there are moments where Heaven feels especially close. Moments where God is reminding us that He is actively moving, speaking, arranging, helping, and partnering with us more than we realize.
Not everything supernatural has to look dramatic. Sometimes it looks like peace...timing....provision. Sometimes it looks like a sunset that reminds you how near God feels. Sometimes it looks like someone handing you the exact shell you needed.
And maybe right now, God is helping you recognize that the pieces of your life still matter too. Maybe nothing has been wasted. Maybe convergence is happening even now.
So let me ask you this:
What "piece" of your journey have you been dismissing that God may actually want to use? And where might God be inviting you to stop striving…and start receiving?
— Holli Peel, What If The Pieces Still Matter?