Some see ruins; others see a story. What came before the ruins, and what will come after? When a building is torn down, there’s hope for something greater to be rebuilt. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my walk with Christ, it’s how to see beauty in the ruins. See the ruins aren’t the end; the ruins are just the end of a chapter. The end of one chapter means the beginning of another.

On my way to work, I drive past a beautiful old historic church, and the other day, the old church appeared to have burned down. It made me sad at first, but as I slowed my car down to take a closer look, I was met with awe and wonder. I actually found it to be beautiful, a mysterious type of beautiful. The ruins of this old church had a beauty that reminded me no matter how broken something appears, God can rebuild it.

There was a point in my life I looked a lot like this old church—burned down, broken, and hopeless. It was at this point in my life I realized that God’s light shone brightest through the cracks and broken pieces of me than He ever did when I pretended to have it all together.

So while some may see ruins, there is something greater that lies beyond the ashes—a new chapter of the story.