09/27/2026
The Sand We Bring Home
Every year, my family and I vacation at the ocean in Hilton Head. I love watching the kids and grandkids run into the waves. I love seeing fish jump out of the water and schools of dolphins swim by. I could sit and watch the ocean for hours.
But I have a confession: I can’t stand the sand.
It gets between your toes, inside your swimsuit, in the towels, and all over the car. Somehow, a year later, you’re still vacuuming it out. You thought you had cleaned everything, and then you move a floor mat and find more sand.
And yet, I really do love the beach.
This year, the sand got me thinking about sin. Some sins are obvious to us. We know what we said, what we did, or what we chose to dwell on. But other sins settle into places we rarely look. Pride can hide beneath our desire to be right. Bitterness can linger long after we say we have forgiven someone. Selfishness can become so familiar that we stop recognizing it.
David prayed, “Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults” (Psalm 19:12, NASB 1995). He understood that we don’t always see ourselves clearly. That’s why he also prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart … And see if there be any hurtful way in me” (Psalm 139:23–24).
That is a difficult prayer to mean. It invites God to show us what we have overlooked, excused, or tucked away. But it is also a hopeful prayer. God reveals sin so that we can bring it into the light and turn from it.
First John 1:9 gives us this promise: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” We do not have to pretend the sand isn’t there. We can confess what God shows us and trust Christ to forgive and cleanse us.
I’ll probably keep finding Hilton Head sand in my car long after this vacation ends. When I do, I want it to remind me to ask a simple question: Lord, is there something in my heart I’ve stopped noticing?
I love the ocean. I even love the beach. And perhaps the sand I bring home can serve as a reminder to keep bringing my whole heart before God.
