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