Sunday, January 4, 2015

Hidden In The Woods....

We enjoy seeing old houses.... even old decrepit houses.... or abandoned houses... there is an air of mystery about them and my imagination conjures up ideas of who lived there, how old the house is, what the setting was like... and more. We enjoy seeing them when we drive... and we point out old houses, barns, silos and more. The sense of seeing a real piece of history is fun... and leads to impromptu history lessons. :)


 One day when my kids and I were on a long walk back in some wooded areas, we saw this in the distance, so of course, as we got closer, we kept our attention on it.
 By the time we got closer, it was obvious that the house had been abandoned a long time ago. Trees were growing close to the house, the window glass was gone and there was a general air of neglect and emptiness.

We circled the house, just looking... it was interesting. It wasn't a large or fancy home, just an old simple home. We enjoyed noticing details like the wood planking, the metal roof, the cement blocks holding up the house... and more. 
 It sure wasn't a pretty house at all.... but it did invite us to look around in hopes of discovering.... something....

There was a part that had obviously been added on at a later time.... 

The wood was very weathered....

We all agreed we would not want to live there.... but we enjoyed the experience of discovering...

The woods were quiet and we were a long ways from the road, so it was just us. We are city people with a love for the country and a hope to live out of the city someday, so things like this draw us.... and we enjoy walks in nature...

 We realized that someone used to live here... and we marveled that they were so very far from a road... we wondered how they would go to town or other places. This was very odd in our culture of needing to be near a road or a highway or town....

 We curiously wondered how old the place was... .and why it was left abandoned.
 The weathered look of the wood blended so well with the surrounding woods, that it just seemed to fit.

We had many questions... but all we could do was guess at any answers.
 As we got to the side with the door (the front door? hmmm), we saw the open door and were excited to see a peek into the cabin. I'm not sure what we hoped to see... maybe an empty room with an old table and benches, maybe just a few items to show a bit about the history of the place.....

Our first glance in was disappointing... there was a mess...

It wasn't an interesting mess.... it was just.... a mess.

Ugly trash was visible... and we didn't even try to see much more. We wouldn't have entered since it wasn't our property, but it was interesting to look.... until we saw the ugly mess. 
 One interesting find was this old suit hanging on the nail outside the door. How long was it there? Why was it there? There was no way to find out, but we were glad to see that puzzling item since the inside looked so very disappointing. We continued on our walk, discussing the old house at times, and enjoying the quiet of the country woods. In the years since then, we have had no interest in returning to this old house. It disappointed us... and though we enjoyed the outside, the inside repelled us.  We still like the looks of the old house in the woods.... but we have seen enough of it... our curiousity has been satisfied enough that we don't care to learn more.

I realized that just as the outside of this house drew our attention and we wanted to find out more... our lives can grab the attention of those around us. What will they see? What if they get close enough to see "inside" us? Will they be disappointed with all of the junk we have kept in our lives? Will they be disgusted by the mess and a lack of living what we say we believe? Will they want to know more.... or will they write us off as not worth any more attention? 

We have a chance to show Christ to the world... no, we are not all in the public light... we are not all preachers or famous singers... or others who are noticed by many, but we ARE noticed. Those who see us, notice how we react to a rude cashier... or how we respond to a naughty child....a stressful situation.... they notice how we drive when we are behind that terribly slow person who just will not move out of our way when we are in a hurry.... and more.  When someone looks closely into my life, I want them to see that while I am not perfect and I need to grow in so many areas.... I want them to see that I do love the Lord.... I am seeking to honor Him... I am loving Him.... and I am not trusting in myself, but in my Lord. I want them to be drawn to learning more.... more about why I live as I do.... why I can respond with love and kindess.... why I live honestly... and more..... I want them to be drawn to see Christ.




Shared on:

Friday at the Fire Station
Warriors of the Word
Home Sweet Home
Foodie Friday and Everything Else
Vintage Charm
Oh My Heartsie Girls
Wise Woman
Homemaking Party
Art of Homemaking Monday
Modest Mom Monday

52 comments:

  1. What an adventure! I admit I was drawn in as well even though I have seen many places like this when I lived in the country. Reminds me of the Hansel and Gretel story but without the bad witch. Too bad the inside was so trashed.

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    1. It was fun... and a fond memory for us. :) It was a shame the inside was so awful. Thank you for visiting. :)

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  2. Beautiful post. Not sure why, but I love old weathered wood - seems to have such a story to tell. Your analogy is superb. When young people idolize celebrities, I often tell them, "but you are/can be so much more than that..." Life's not all sparkly. Like you said, it's what we keep inside.
    Thank you. This is a great reminder as I start my day.

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    1. What a wonderful comment! Thank you....I'm so glad you stopped by. :)

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  3. What a great post and wonderful shots of this old place! I have done exactly what you have done...I just didn't have my camera at the time! Sometimes I have some "trash" in me that still seeps through the cracks in my old wooden house...Lord, forgive me...so thankful He does!

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    1. Oh... that is so true... that trash just doesn't leave easily and I am thankful that God offers repeated cleaning when I allow Him to work in my life. :) Thank you for visiting... so nice to have you.

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  4. Beautiful story with a wonderful lesson to learn from it! It is wonderful that we can learn such valuable life lessons on a simple walk, isn't it!

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    1. It is.... it seems like God plants such lessons all around us... just need to look for them. :)

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  5. Love these photos!
    Elizabeth
    www.allkindsofthingsblog.com

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    1. Thank you.... it was fun to re-live this walk through the pictures. :)

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  6. Love this post! Thank you for sharing. I often wonder about such things as well. Cool house!

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  7. Beautiful post and message! And what an interesting find...makes you wonder about what all that house has been through!
    Thanks for linking up on Tuesday Talk today!
    Katie @ Sweet Little Ones

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    1. Thank you for your sweet comment.... I sure have wondered about that house. :) Thank you for visiting.

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  8. I moved to NY last April and now that it is winter I see old beat up barns and houses through the trees. I so want to explore and take pictures but it is 14 degrees and the wind chill is 3 degrees. I will have to wait for spring. Love the old house. I do wonder as you did who lived here what was it like. My husband is always trying to convince my that we should buy an old house and fix it. Maybe not one that is chewed up as that one but old none the less.

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    1. I always wanted to "rescue" some charming old house and re-do it.... I have changed that a bit now. :) In our 2 homes, I have seen how much work a house can be when it isn't old and run down.... but we still REALLY enjoy looking at them. I agree that house would be WAY Too much work... it is quite chewed up... so glad you visited today. :)

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  9. Lovely post, thanks for sharing the beautiful photos, would be interesting to know about the house and who lived there. Thanks for sharing at Good Morning Mondays. Blessings

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    1. Thank you... it really would be nice to know... was it a family? a single person? old? young? We can only guess. Thank you for visiting. :)

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  10. This sure brings up childhood memories of my own.....when I was little we used to live out in the country and in back of our house was a wooded path that led to an old house similar to the one you found. The door was always opened and we would go in and look around. It wasn't as messy on the inside but I always felt a little frightened to be there without my parents. We wondered exactly the same things you did about the old house! It is very odd that you found a suit hanging on the door outside! How interesting though! Enjoyed your post, found you at The Charm of Home linkup!
    Linda
    mysewwhatblog

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    1. Thank you..... and nice to hear about your childhood experience. As my kids and I talked about this post, my kids shared that they were a bit scared while there, wondering if someone would come... I wonder what story they will tell THEIR children about this experience!!! :)

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  11. Very cool! I loved exploring old abandoned houses as a kid- thanks so much for sharing :)

    Visiting via the HomeAcre Hop!

    Erin
    www.yellowbirchhobbyfarm.com

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    1. Thank you... the abandoned just appeals to that love of mystery in me and others. :) Thank you for stopping by.

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  12. Lovely photos! Thanks for linking with Tuesday Talk!

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    1. Thank you... I was so glad to find the Tuesday Talk link up.... and I certainly plan to return. :)

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  13. Wow just wow...and very thought provoking

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  14. Thank you for posting to Motivation Monday!

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  15. I just love this post. The photos remind me of old houses near my grandparents' home in Eastern Tennessee.

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    1. I'm glad... I didn't know if it would affect others the way it did me, but I have heard many wonderful comments and it seems to affect many of us that way. :) Thank you for visiting.

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  16. Congratulations! Seems like everyone was curious to see what was "Hidden In The Woods" because this was a top post on last week's link up party. I featured it this week. I hope you will come link up several more of your great posts this week.
    God bless.
    Chris
    So Much At Home

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    1. Thank you!!! What a blessing.... we were sure curious about the house... glad others are too. :)

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  17. I love looking at old places, too, and imagining what it was like in the heyday! Love thinking about the people who made up the heart of that home. Thank you for sharing your adventure and your lovely photos! Heart Hugs, Shelly <3

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    1. Sounds like we think somewhat alike!!! :) So glad you joined us for the adventure... thank you for visiting. :)

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  18. Absolutely stunning photos! Your post was one of the most-viewed features at last week's Foodie Friday and Everything Else. Have a wonderful weekend!

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    1. Thank you! It was fun.... and also a bit sad. Thank you for visiting. :)

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  19. Beautiful. I love old places too. I like being able to daydream about what life was like in when the house (building) was in it's prime. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Thank you.... It is fun to daydream about it... and interesting to see. Thank you for visiting and commenting. :)

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  20. These are beautiful photos and a great lesson in how we reflect the glory of the Lord. Thank you so much for linking up with Grace & Truth!!

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    1. Thank you... it is important to reflect Him... and not just our old sin nature... God sure shows us that in many ways too. :) Thank you for visiting.... and for the great link up party.

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  21. What an incredible story! I LOVED "walking with you" to peek inside the house. Oh, my, it just looks like someone's life was abruptly interrupted....like they died suddenly or had to leave quickly, leaving everything they owned behind, in the process. I must say that even after seeing the mess, I am still intrigued, because the mess adds to the mystery. SO interesting! Thank you for sharing this...I loved the spiritual applications, too. Very good food for the soul. :)

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    1. Thank you for sharing this memory with me... it was indeed intriguing. I love how God gives spiritual applications for situations such as this. :)

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  22. Beautiful photos. I'm intrigued by old houses, too. Especially when the tattered curtains are still hanging. I think I would love to live far off the road like that.

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    1. There is something about old houses that just ignites the idea of mystery and though they can be a wreck like this one, they are amazing to see. I have been in the process of writing a Christian fiction book and an old house is quite prominent in it. It has been so fun to explore ideas through writing the book. Thank you for visiting. :)

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  23. I absolutely loved this! Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Thank you... what a wonderfully encouraging comment! :)

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  24. This blog post read like an exciting novel! You did such an excellent job capturing the interest of your readers with the same intrigue you felt when you discovered the house.

    And the Biblical insight you came away with as it relates to our own Christian walk was excellent!

    Thank you for the reminder that it is important that our insides reflect Christ just as much as out outsides.

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    1. Wow! What an encouraging comment... thank you so much. I was hoping it would come across that way but what a joy to hear that it actually did. Thank you. :) I do like how God uses so many everyday things to teach me lessons... it is a nice way to learn. Thank you for visiting.

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  25. I was intrigued by the pictures of the abandoned house which kept me reading. I just love the analogy of the decrepit state of the house to our own lives. Such true words here. We are a mess without our Lord and Savior in our lives everyday to clean up the mess and decay.

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    1. Thank you... you are so right that we are a mess without our Lord and Savior... and the messes can happen so subtly so that we don't even notice until we have a real mess. What a blessing that God loves us, treats us as His children (including disciplining us to move us away from detrimental things) and forgives us. Thank you for visiting.

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  26. What an adventure and what beautiful photos of this rustic place. Thank you for sharing @Vintage Charm!

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    1. It is a fond memory for us. :) Thank you... and thank you for the party.

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