Into the Light

Most of us have things we would rather keep in the dark, little idiocycracies that we fear may change the way people look at us. I had a roomate in college, for example who kept secret for a long time his guilty pleasure TV show, one inherited from an old girlfriend of his. Incidentally, it kind of became a guilty pleasure show for all of us, so I definately identify with the reason he kept it a secret for as long as he could. What show was it? Well, let just say its about some girls that go by the name of Gilmore.

Those of you reading this that did not know that, your perception of me changed a bit didn't it?

And yet, you get a more complete picture of who I am. My words and opinions can now be evaluated as those coming from one who appreciates snarky dialog, complex relationships and societal expectations. What is exposed gives meaning and nuance and significance to the object in question.

I have many more guilty pleasures, pleasures that aren't nearly as innocent as television shows about young, rich, witty women. I am, as I have said, desperately thirsty. These pleasures are ones that I would much rather keep in the dark and never expose to the light of day, to the light of public opinion and to the light of truth. These are all encompassing. Do I really want people to know how much I enjoy tearing people down with smart sarcasm? How I revel in the rush of power I feel when expressing anger? How I love the sense of accomplishment when I successfully tell a lie? How I long for the giddiness and carelessness that comes with being drunk? How I relish the false intimacy of a relationship that begins and ends at a club or even a screen? What happens when this is exposed?

"for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light." Ephesians 5:8-14a

Right at the end of this passage is this amazing truth buried in a metaphor of the physcial world. What we don't often think about is that everything we "see" in this world is really just rays of light from our sun. These rays come from millions of miles away, reflect off of objects, losing some of its characteristics but retaining its essence, and enter into our eyes for our brains to process. What we actually see is the light of the source reflected off of exposed surfaces.

The beauty of what Christ does is that whatever we expose to him becomes a surface that reflects his glory. I think this is what it means when Paul says "for anything that becomes visible is light." Anything, whether it be our gifts, our good works, our obedience and even our sin, when it comes into the light of Christ becomes something that reflects the glory of who he is.

Now exposure in this sense is not simply letting everybody know what this thing is, whether good or evil. It is exposure to men AND exposure to the sanctification of God through the Holy Spirit. I am by no means advocating the continuation of sin because God is glorified by it. However, as children of grace being sanctified by his Spirit, I am saying that even the darkest moments of our depravity, when exposed to God and to men, is a testimony of the overwhelming beauty and glory of God and his Christ. It shows the depth of grace that God wields to save us and the depth of goodness that God has to fill us and the depth of love that God feels for him to even want to do either.

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed..." James 5:16

God, you are in fact light. You are the source of the universe which all things reflect. Thank you that this light cannot be overcome by any darkness, even the darkness of our depravity. Help us to bring what was once done in darkness into light so that we can show just how beautiful you are, just how fulfilling you are, and just how gracious you are to a world that is settling for the very things that we used to settle for. Show in us and through us just what it is that you have to offer a dieing and depraved world. Help us reflect your glory.