One Person's Trash...

...is another's treasure. There are some people who can see beauty in anything. I want to be one of those people, though I admit I struggle to remain grounded in such a mindset. Life is filled with trash. No doubt trash fills our landscape everyday through our constant consumption of stuff. But physical trash is the least of our problems. Worse, we are barraged by idea-trash and this is even more tragic because our imaginations are stolen. Through our televisions, through our smart devices, through our work place banter, through our own inward self-talk... we are surrounded by and filled with junk--and encouraged to keep throwing out more and more of it.

And then come along those rare dreamers... who see a work of art in all this trash. We call these dreamers "artists" because they remind us that our greatest purpose in life is to have our eyes opened--to see the art hidden in everything, even seeming disappointment.

I want to be like that... a dreamer who refuses to be discouraged by all the trash--an artist who creates beauty out of the rubble. I want to see what can be, even while I acknowledge soberly what is. I want to inspire others to recognize the work of art within us--even despite our failures. Because if we will see through the trash--literally--we will discover a person, people, and another's treasure.

Oh, and this is why I love the gospel... because the good news says we are treasured by God regardless of our trash. Those around us may define us by our worst, or we may even define ourselves by the trash we have consumed... but the gospel says Jesus is the Great Artist, the Rare Dreamer who sees through the junk heap to Another's treasure. Jesus tells us that if we will come to God the Father through God the Son, we will become like Jesus, sons and daughters of God--His treasures.