By Josie Siler
We all gasped when we saw the house, or what was left of it. The roof had caved in and only pieces of walls were still standing, broken off and jutting toward the sky. Trees were growing up and through the house and out the broken windows.
We continued driving through the field and came to the old chicken coop. You could tell that it had once been a good-sized coop, but it too had collapsed and was being overtaken by the growth of the forest.
Finally the old barn came into view. It was obvious someone had found what they thought was an abandoned barn and helped themselves to as much barn-wood as they wanted. The funny thing about abandoned buildings is someone still owns them and they are probably not forgotten.
It was a challenge getting through the briers, vines, and other forest overgrowth, but we made it into the barn. It was so beautiful.
Yes, it was terribly broken, but there was great beauty there as well.
Photographing the broken barn and house that day was a reminder of our humanity. It was a reminder of you, my Broken but Priceless Ministries’ family. As our founder Erin says, “Even though our bodies may be broken, we are priceless in God’s eyes.”
The buildings were broken, but they were still a priceless treasure.
I was there with my friend Maggie. Her Aunt Mag had owned that land and those buildings many years ago. Maggie now owns the land and the broken buildings. They may be abandoned, but they are not forgotten. They are still loved and beauty can still be found there. They still serve a purpose – if only to give shelter to the squirrels and the raccoons.
I don’t know how much longer the buildings will stand, but I do know that even in their brokenness they are beautiful. Nature has overtaken the area and as the trees grow and they deteriorate they are becoming one.
We all gasped when we saw the house, or what was left of it. The roof had caved in and only pieces of walls were still standing, broken off and jutting toward the sky. Trees were growing up and through the house and out the broken windows.
We continued driving through the field and came to the old chicken coop. You could tell that it had once been a good-sized coop, but it too had collapsed and was being overtaken by the growth of the forest.
Finally the old barn came into view. It was obvious someone had found what they thought was an abandoned barn and helped themselves to as much barn-wood as they wanted. The funny thing about abandoned buildings is someone still owns them and they are probably not forgotten.
It was a challenge getting through the briers, vines, and other forest overgrowth, but we made it into the barn. It was so beautiful.
Yes, it was terribly broken, but there was great beauty there as well.
Photographing the broken barn and house that day was a reminder of our humanity. It was a reminder of you, my Broken but Priceless Ministries’ family. As our founder Erin says, “Even though our bodies may be broken, we are priceless in God’s eyes.”
The buildings were broken, but they were still a priceless treasure.
I was there with my friend Maggie. Her Aunt Mag had owned that land and those buildings many years ago. Maggie now owns the land and the broken buildings. They may be abandoned, but they are not forgotten. They are still loved and beauty can still be found there. They still serve a purpose – if only to give shelter to the squirrels and the raccoons.
I don’t know how much longer the buildings will stand, but I do know that even in their brokenness they are beautiful. Nature has overtaken the area and as the trees grow and they deteriorate they are becoming one.
Our bodies are just like those broken buildings. As Ecclesiastes 3:20 (ESV) says, “All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return.” Yes, one day our bodies will die and turn back into dust, but our souls will live on.
My body is broken, so broken. I get frustrated, angry even. But then I remember, I’m not my body, I just have a body. And even though my body may be broken, I am priceless in God’s eyes. And so are you.
You may feel like an old, torn-apart barn or a caved-in house, but you my friend, are far more than that. If you have a relationship with God, you’re a child of the King of kings and Lord of lords. You’re royalty!
We love and serve a God who loved us so much that He gave His beloved Son to save us. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him (John 3:16-17).”
Jesus’ flesh was broken and His blood was spilled out in order to save us. Dear friend, you’re not alone. Jesus knows pain. He knows brokenness. He knows what it feels like to be ripped apart by the evils of this world, yet He overcame all of that when He rose from the dead.
We were never promised an easy life. If Jesus experienced brokenness, even a broken body, can’t we expect the same? That could be a depressing thought, but there is hope!
John 16:33 assures us, “I [Jesus] have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
It’s true that we will experience tribulation, misfortune, trials, suffering, pain, distress, misery, and hardship. But that’s not all; in Jesus we find peace. We find hope. We find comfort. We find joy.
Take your brokenness to Jesus today. Lay it at His feet; tell Him how you feel and why you hurt. Then listen. Read His Word, the Bible. Allow His comfort and love to fill your heart with hope. He’s waiting for you with open arms.
My body is broken, so broken. I get frustrated, angry even. But then I remember, I’m not my body, I just have a body. And even though my body may be broken, I am priceless in God’s eyes. And so are you.
You may feel like an old, torn-apart barn or a caved-in house, but you my friend, are far more than that. If you have a relationship with God, you’re a child of the King of kings and Lord of lords. You’re royalty!
We love and serve a God who loved us so much that He gave His beloved Son to save us. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him (John 3:16-17).”
Jesus’ flesh was broken and His blood was spilled out in order to save us. Dear friend, you’re not alone. Jesus knows pain. He knows brokenness. He knows what it feels like to be ripped apart by the evils of this world, yet He overcame all of that when He rose from the dead.
We were never promised an easy life. If Jesus experienced brokenness, even a broken body, can’t we expect the same? That could be a depressing thought, but there is hope!
John 16:33 assures us, “I [Jesus] have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
It’s true that we will experience tribulation, misfortune, trials, suffering, pain, distress, misery, and hardship. But that’s not all; in Jesus we find peace. We find hope. We find comfort. We find joy.
Take your brokenness to Jesus today. Lay it at His feet; tell Him how you feel and why you hurt. Then listen. Read His Word, the Bible. Allow His comfort and love to fill your heart with hope. He’s waiting for you with open arms.
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