The Outcasts

"Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled,
the blind and the lame... and urge anyone you find to come and fill up my house."
Luke 14:23

We see what is broken and dirty, and of seemingly little worth... 

But Jesus sees what He can mend and make new. It's one of the many attributes I love about Him. He didn't see me as a convicted felon with a prison identification number who is serving a life sentence. He saw me as someone of great worth whom He could make into a productive individual if I'd but give my heart to Him. And I did.

I am glad Jesus fixes broken things. He looked beyond my messed up life and saw what He could do with it. Society saw a murderer, but Jesus saw a minister in the making. The world saw a loser, but He saw a winner. Humanity saw a hater, but the Lord saw a man who's capable of loving others.

And what He has done for me, He will do for anyone. If they want to be forgiven and redeemed, He will do just that. In a recent letter, a wise friend of many years, Anita, who is both a mother and grandmother, said it best:

"I love how Jesus was drawn to the outcasts and the least-desirable people, it seems.
  He took the time to rub shoulders with the ones that most people avoided."

How true!  

Also, please see the beautiful poem a new friend recently shared, titled, "For Me."

D.B.