Search for the Gold, Not the Dirt!

Let’s be honest: People aren’t perfect. Never have been. Never will be.

And yet, how often do we approach others with the unconscious expectation of flawlessness? It’s like panning through a river of humanity, sifting for specks of dirt rather than searching for the gold.

The truth is—only the Creator is perfect.

Made in the Image of the Divine

In Genesis 1:26-27, we read:

“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…’

So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

Now, God wasn’t talking about physical features here. He was referring to our spiritual DNA—our capacity to love, to show compassion, to extend kindness, to walk in empathy. That’s the imprint of the divine.

Vine’s Dictionary defines “image” in this context as:

“A visible representation of God.”

We carry that representation when we reflect His Spirit.

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You Find What You Seek

Proverbs 11:27 makes it plain:

“He who earnestly seeks good finds favor,

But trouble will come to him who seeks evil.”

In simple terms—if you’re looking for faults, you’ll find them. If you’re looking for beauty, grace, redemption—you’ll find those too.

We’re called to love our neighbors, pray for one another, be patient, and extend the kind of compassion Jesus himself demonstrated.

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Jesus Didn’t Condemn—So Why Do We?

Let’s talk about Jesus for a moment. Over and over again, He models what it looks like to search for gold:

• David sinned—but God called him a man after His own heart.

• The woman caught in adultery—Jesus refused to condemn her.

• The Samaritan woman at the well—He didn’t shame her. He offered her living water.

• Zacchaeus the tax collector—Jesus chose dinner over judgment.

• And even among His disciples:

Peter was impulsive.

Thomas doubted.

Judas betrayed.

Still, Jesus called them.

Forgiveness was never an afterthought in His ministry—it was the starting point.

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What You Judge in Others May Be Your Own Reflection

Let’s face it: sometimes the “dirt” we see in others is just a mirror of our own flaws. Criticism becomes a coping mechanism—a way to distract from the mess within.

But grace—real, raw, radical grace—points us toward healing, not comparison.

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Grace Is the Lens That Finds the Gold

Grace changes everything. It helps us see people not for what they are, but for who they can be through Christ. It reminds us that no one is a lost cause.

“The one who finds Jesus, finds life.”

And Jesus didn’t come merely with truth. He came full of grace and truth (John 1:14). Not one without the other. He was not a balance—He was the embodiment.