Exposed by the Light...

Have you ever heard of a dust dance party?  Me neither... until I witnessed it first hand a few weeks ago.  Let me explain.  I was excitedly cleaning my son's room.  (OK, I admit that this is a bit of a stretch, but I was definitely MORE excited than usual because I was using my new dust mitt).  It was getting dark outside, so I turned on his intensely bright desk light so I could see better.  But let me tell you, I did not like what I saw.  In fact, I wish I never turned on the light.  Why, you ask?  Because the glow of the desk light revealed millions of tiny dust particles dancing and twirling around.  And to make matters worse, if I moved my dust mitt, even more dust particles escaped and joined the party.  So basically, I really wasn't cleaning at all.  I was just moving dust around and adding more dust from other rooms.  Yikes!  Needless to say, I did learn a few things.  First, I need to WASH OUT the dust mitt after I use it to ensure the old dust is purged.  And I also learned that if I didn't want to see the true impact of my cleaning efforts, it's best to leave the intense desk light off...

The desk light exposed things that I wouldn't have noticed without it.   This same principle applies in our own lives.  When we venture into the light of Christ, He is able to expose stuff that we might not see on our own... things like sins that would go under the radar if it wasn't for Christ's light shining on them.  Sometimes, the light of Christ can expose things we don't want to see.  Can any of you relate?  I know I can!  And I'm so thankful that when Christ's light exposes my sin that it's through gentle conviction, with a desire to restore me and set me free.  I love that God loves us enough to show us sin so we can confess it and receive His forgiveness.  In fact, 1 John 1:9 tells us, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness."

Do you need to step into the light of Christ today?  Do you need to invite Him to expose sin in your life... either sin that is under the radar or sin that you don't want to see?  Take some time to do this today.  If you're able, find some sunshine and stand in it while you "be still and know that He is God" (Psalm 46:10).  And as you bask in the light, invite Jesus to expose your sins so you can receive forgiveness and cleansing.  Let's invite our Lord to shine on us (Psalm 118:27), because those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame (Psalm 34:5).