Parenting Is Like Beachcombing: Searching for Treasures That Last”

Living just 10 minutes from Lake Michigan means our summers are full of beach days. My kids and I love walking the shoreline after a big storm, combing through what the waves have left behind. It’s a slow, peaceful kind of treasure hunt—one that never feels quite the same twice.

Over the years, we’ve discovered some remarkable things: sea glass worn smooth, old bricks rounded by the waves, vintage tin cans, rusted silverware, beads that look like they belonged to Native American jewelry, even a spent firework. Some items are immediately recognizable. Others feel like fragments of a mystery. I often find myself wondering: Who once held this? How far did it travel? What’s its story?

Clues from the Shoreline

Every object we find feels like a clue from the past—a piece of someone’s story, still echoing across time. And while we may never know the full history, holding that treasure in my hand somehow makes it less lost.

At home, we drop each find into a big glass jar. Over time, the collection has grown into something oddly beautiful. When I look at those objects, they remind me that even the smallest things can endure storms, travel great distances, and still land in a safe place.

Parenting and the Unexpected

Lately, I’ve realized that parenting is a lot like beach combing.

Sometimes we’re just coasting along, and suddenly our child says or does something that stops us in our tracks. It might be something painful—a harsh word, a poor choice—or it might be beautiful, like a deep spiritual insight or a burst of kindness that feels beyond their years. And we wonder: Where did that come from?

Some of these moments are echoes of things they’ve heard—overheard conversations, quiet lessons we thought didn’t stick. Other times, they seem to carry something ancient: a gift passed down through the bloodline, like my daughter’s spontaneous little piano tune at age three. Turns out, music runs deep in our family tree. When I looked into our genealogy, I found generations of pianists, going back to the 1800s.

What Will Last?

All of this has me thinking about legacy. What will last from these days we spend together?

The words we speak, the truths we share, the stories we live out in front of our children—these may travel far into the future. Long after we’re gone, some of these treasures may resurface, helping to guide and encourage people we’ll never meet.

The beautiful thing is: it’s not up to us to make it all stick. I can’t control what my children remember or carry with them. But I can trust God with the process. I can faithfully point them toward truth, and I can pray that what is good, deep, and lasting will be kept and passed on.

Generational Blessings

Scripture affirms this beautifully:

• Exodus 20:6 – “...showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.”

• Psalm 103:17 – “But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children.”

• Proverbs 20:7 – “The righteous who walks in his integrity—blessed are his children after him!”

  
  

God has built the world to carry truth forward—through families, stories, and even broken bits of glass that wash ashore.

When We Don't Know What We're Looking At

Of course, not everything we find at the beach is recognizable. Occasionally we pick up something and can’t even figure out what it is.

Parenting is like that too. Sometimes we face challenges that are totally outside our comfort zone—things like learning disabilities, anxiety, sleep issues, or extreme picky eating. We feel unequipped. Unqualified.

But unlike beach combing, where we’re left to guess at the origin of a strange object, parenting comes with a divine advantage: we can ask God.

He sees the heart of our children. He understands the root of their struggles. He holds the map to the mysteries we can’t solve on our own.

The Treasures We’re Passing On

When I watch my kids dig for “buried treasures” in the sand, I feel the fleeting nature of time. These days won’t last forever. But I wonder: What truths will they carry? What stories will be passed down? How far will the legacy travel?

We don't always know which moments will matter most, but we do know that God can make them count. So as we comb through the days, let’s keep offering our children tiny treasures of truth. Let’s trust that some will be stored up and remembered. And let’s keep asking God to guide our hands as we parent—stormy days and all.

So here’s the question for you:What kind of treasures are you passing on today?