"old things have passed away; behold all things have become new." 2 Cor. 5:17b
I've often written in the past of my love for old barns & buildings. Rustic, weathered wood, or pitted, grainy stone, these things attract my camera lens over & over again.
This barn near Osoyoos, BC has always been one of my favourites and I have many images of it from every angle, in every season, and every time of day.
When I visited Europe, I was in awe of all the old buildings, cathedrals, castles, and homes there. I could have taken pictures day in & day out and still found more & more to photograph. There is so much beauty in old architecture.
When I see things like old barns being reclaimed by the elements of the earth from decay & neglect it always makes me a little sad. However, I'm not mourning the memory of the building. I have no idea (usually) who lived there or owned that particular building, no particular personal attachment to its history... it just makes me sad to see something I would love to photograph falling into decay so that photo opportunities won't be there anymore. Sounds a little selfish I guess. However, those that know me well know I'm NOT a sentimental person.
Neither am I impressed if something new is built in its place. Not that I'm against progress or "moving ahead", because I'm all for that, but if it isn't replaced with something of equal beauty, it makes me sad too.
All this to say I've been thinking about souls. I know a lot of people with beautiful souls, people who do not know the Lord. I can only imagine that if they do come to Christ, their soul would only get more beautiful! I also know many Christians with ugly souls. And I wonder what happened when their "old soul" passed away? Was their soul always this ugly? Did their "new soul" become beautiful upon its recreation but the decay & neglect of time turn it ugly, broken down and ruined so that nobody could care to see it or bother trying to save it?
And I wonder what my own soul looks like, to others and to Christ? Is it a thing of beauty, or was it replaced with something that started off somewhat nice but decayed to ruin beyond help? Or is it like the old barns & buildings... once a thing of beauty, facing a lot of hardships & decay but still a thing of beauty in the eyes of our Beholder? I know its not shiny & new anymore, it probably has a lot of weathered dents & dings of years gone by, but I hope that it is still something of beauty, despite the passage of time.
