A Broken Beauty

Ruins are nothing special to look at — until you hear their story.

In the Middle East we traveled from city to city staring at rocks that had fallen up to 5000 years ago in some places. Each city had its own oddity. There was either a stable, temple, well, or some other major artifact uncovered that made this particular city worth visiting.

Everywhere we went we looked and observed fallen rock. We talked about broken pieces of ground and empty spaces where something somewhere might have existed at some point. Speculation was our forte and criticism was the one commodity that was not diminished when shared – it rather increased.

But through our skeptical, critical minds sat the beauty of broken rocks.

Each visit to a Tel (ancient ruin site) offered a new history lesson, a new appreciation for life, and a new piece to the puzzle of scripture. Over time it was quite easy to become emotionally connected to these cities and to feel the power of God in their brokenness. It felt like holy ground.

And there lies the mystery of God for me. In the midst of a broken past — beauty resides.

For me this is God’s worldview of humanity. My pastoral opinion has God seeing our beauty through our brokenness just like we saw the beauty of the Tels in all their brokenness.

In the midst of a broken past — beauty resides.

Henri Nouwen says,
Our brokenness reveals something about who we are. Our sufferings and pains are not simply bothersome interruptions of our lives; rather, they touch us in our uniqueness and our most intimate individuality. The way I am broken tells you something unique about me. The way you are broken tells me something unique about you.
I found this statement true in the Middle East while observing ruins, and I find it true today within humanity.

Our brokenness has a story to tell and the people so bold to go and look for it will be forever changed by it.

I'll never forget my trip to the Middle East and the beauty I saw in broken rocks. It changed me. Comparing this experience to the human condition makes sense to me. Those willing to hunt after their broken beauty will be changed by the journey. Not because it stirs up more pain, but because accepting our brokenness is the avenue to the peace and joy we so strongly desire.

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