Gold on the streets.

I've been walking these streets and walking among many realities. One of the realities is the poverty, the other is the joy. There is such a joy in these people. As I asked God to teach me about their joy he began to speak to me about their heritage. He's sent me on a quest to discover the gold in the heritage of Ethiopia. When I focused on the gold in them, joy welled up in me. 

God said one thing to me. "Find the Gold in their heritage." What he really said to me was, "I see the gold in them, do you?" I'm keenly aware that the level of joy in my heart will reveal how much I agree with His perspective. I am keenly aware that my ability to serve people is defined by my awareness of the presence of that gold. 

We do not live in a world absent of God's love, we live in a world full of people who don't want to agree with it. The question I have to ask myself is, "Will I be the one who sees the gold in others, even before they do, or will I keep treasure covered by pointing out what poverty and fault I can find in them?

Will I agree with God's transforming love and be the presence of that, or will I come up with reasons why it's ok for me to not have to?