I have been reading the book Kisses from Katie, a book about a girl who moved to Uganda right after graduating high school to teach preschool and ended up choosing to live there for the rest of her life. She has started her own non-profit that sponsors children and she has adopted 14 girls. She has a ministry to women in the slum and feeds over 1800 children each day so that they can go to school. Her home is always open. In her book she told this story that touched me so deeply...
Katie's girls haven't been able to get over their habit of playing with trash. Even though they have a number of toys to play with, they insist on picking through the garbage to find things to play with...things like old toilet paper rolls, used strings of floss, medicine bottles, etc. One day, Katie looked out and noticed that the bush in the back yard was covered with trash. She went out to see what was going on, and her daughter excitedly asked her if she wanted to buy things from her "store". She proceeded to pick up some stones to use as money to buy these pieces of garbage that her daughter saw as treasures.
Even though I am often so blind to my depravity and need for God, I was truly like a piece of trash without Jesus. I didn't do anything to deserve attention or love from God. But I am so thankful that he sees so much differently. When he looks at me, he does not see a piece of trash. Only he could pick me up and make a treasure out of me. It is only his love that would actually choose to become the payment that would secure a relationship with me. When I see garbage in me, he sees treasure. He sees potential. He sees love.
I want to see the way He sees.
