Pearl In The Sand by Tessa Afshar

I just finished reading a novel that depicted the story of Rahab.  From the very beginning you are wrapped up in the tale of how Rahab's father sold her into prostitution in order to save the family from starvation.  Rahab couldn't understand how someone who claimed to love her so much would sell her for such a price.  She is ruined according to her culture, no one will want to marry her now.  When she hears about the great nation of Israel and how their army is defeating the nations around them, she wants to hear more about this Lord that seems to be directing their path.  Without even knowing much about Him she begins one and only God that she has been hearing about.  She cries out her to Him and when the Israelite spies are stopped at the city gates, she tricks the guards into believing they are merchants coming to do business.  She saves them by helping them over the wall and to the safety of the mountains.  Her one request is that they spare her and her family from the destruction that will surely come.

Because of her faith she is able to save her family and become apart of the Israelite community.  She falls in love and marries Salmone who is one of the leaders of the tribe of Judah.  Before their wedding Salmone gives Rahab a pair of pearl earrings that belonged to his mother.  Rahab accepts the proposal, but is fearful of the wedding night because of her past.  She doesn't believe that she can put her past behind her and the experiences she has had with other men.  Salmone tries to help her cope, but every thing he says seems to be taken the wrong way.

One night after a gathering of friends Rahab loses one of her earrings.  The next day Salmone helps her find it and is inspired by God with a way to help Rahab understand how God sees her and how much both he and the Lord love her for who she is.  Salmone tells her that the earring is ruined and is not worth anything anymore.  Rahab denies his assessment and tells him it can be cleaned and repaired and that is it still of great value.  Salmone looks at her and tells her that she is like that pearl.  That even though she was in the muck and dirt and shame of prostitution that her faith made her like that pearl, worthy of redemption and of great value in spite of where she has come from.

It made me think about how at one time or another most of us have had something in our lives that has made us feel unworthy of being a child of God.  How it clouds our worth to Him in our eyes.  Sometimes I wonder how someone could know the real me and love me anyway.  My worthlessness has been on my mind lately.  I am taking an antidepressant and ran out so I know that is part of why my thoughts turned that way.  If I had a jewel of great value I would search for it until I found it and would do what I could to restore it.  God tries so hard to restore our hearts, to renew them to the way he already sees us.  But so many times our vision is clouded by the standards we place on ourselves or that the world places on us.  I am praying to today that God will give all of us the vision of us that he has.  That we can look past all the little grains of sand that stand in our way to see the perfect pearl that is underneath.