Old and New

One of the things I love about Seoul is the intermingling of old and new.  The stunning six hundred year old palaces stand surrounded by shiny new skyscrapers. 

 A stately old city gate is an out of place island in the midst of a bustling of sea of traffic. 

The intricate wooden carvings captured in picture form by the newest innovative technology.  Old and new dwell side by side.  In the heart of the city, the past intertwines with the present and the future. 

 

For me Seoul illustrates the role of the past in shaping my future. My beautiful and sometimes painful memories of the past are surrounded by the new life God has erected around the remnants of the old.  My life is moving forward, advancing into the future.  I am moving on and expanding in new directions and new lands, but the memories of the past still dwell nearby.  Occasionally, I find my mind wandering back to the past and recreating images from my past life before everything changed one February evening in 2008. I visit the old the grounds for a few minutes every now and again, but then I know I need to step back into the reality of bustling city of everyday life. 




Over the last couple of weeks, I have actually taken the time to visit the old palaces, both literally and figuratively.  Enough time has passed that I can look back and celebrate the beauty of the old without idolizing it.

 
 I can take a few minutes to wandering around the grounds, but God also gives me the strength to turn and face the uncertainty of the present and the future and walk away from the safety of the old palace walls into real life.  Having time to walk through the palaces has been a bit difficult but also beautiful and healing.