Before
After
Our barn was built between 1880 and 1910. It is an impressive structure to the farmer’s eye – incredibly simple by modern standards. The barn was built of basic materials: stone, wood and tin. The original support beams are held together with wooden pins and hold the massive structure (over 4,000 square feet) upright.
When we bought the property in 2011, the barn still had it’s original tin roof. Over 200 years, the roof developed cracks and holes. Rain poured into the aging structure with every storm. Over time, even some of the strongest “summer beams” rotted and gave way. Beautiful red oak beams and floor boards disintegrated and the entire building was leaning forward (10 degrees).
Because it was not maintained, the barn was not safe for animals or people. The only reason the barn wasn’t in a heap on the ground was it’s solid foundation – but even that would not have stopped the rest from collapse eventually.
I assume the barn wasn’t maintained because previous owners stopped farming. It wasn’t torn down because they liked to look at it. Our dilemma was whether to save it or tear it down and start over. We decided to save it. The work that went into cleaning and restoring that structure is a whole different story!
The “before” barn is a pretty building – on the outside. You can’t see the damage and rot on the inside. Isn’t that what we do? We keep our damaged selves to ourselves until there is something so broken we need an intervention to fix it. We can maintain an acceptable “outside” for a long time, but that won’t help cure what needs attention on the “inside”. If you are sad, lonely, angry, frustrated, disappointed…pay attention to the issue that is causing the pain. Don’t let it fester until there is rot in your soul and damage that can’t be easily repaired.
If your “summer beams” are already crumbling, then reach out to the ONE who can replace and restore the damage. There is no hurt that Jesus can’t take on. There is no damage that God won’t repair. There is no pain too unbearable for our Lord to take from you. He already did that work when he went to the cross (1 Peter 2:24). Give your burdens to Him, so you can live with His strength and support. Let Him love you back to health and wholeness. Walk away from the mess because you can. He loves you that much.
“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” Psalm 34:18
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” Psalm 147:3
