I normally love the bright glow of the late afternoon sun as it falls pleasantly over the countryside and streams through my windows, but today I noticed a harsh reality: the same golden light that brightens the goodness outside also highlights how dirty my kitchen is.

I was shocked and appalled to see smudges, smears, and streaks covering the front of my oven, refrigerator, and two cabinets. So appalled, in fact, that I dropped what I was doing and immediately set to work washing off the grime. I knew if I let the moment pass, the light would fade and I’d grow complacent again with the dirt I would no longer see. I wanted to make use of that moment of bright light to make sure I could see clearly to clean every spot. It was gross.

As I sat in that sunny spot and scrubbed, I thought about how my spiritual life is a lot like this. God’s Word is the light by which I see and understand the beauty and complexity of the world around me. But when that light falls at a sharp angle, it exposes the grime within.

Except, I’m not capable of washing away my own filth, no matter how hard I scrub.

So what do I do? I confess. Confession is simply stating that I am in agreement with the Light that my sin is exactly what it has been shown to be: filthy. And in this turn of heart—this confessing and repenting—I am made clean by blood of the only One who can wash away those stains: Jesus himself. What grace!

I have to take advantage of this moment of light to make corrections, to seek cleansing, because I know it will pass. And if I let it pass without addressing those smears and smudges and streaks, the light will fade and I’ll become complacent again while more muck piles on top. After all, it would be much easier to just close the blinds and block out the light, right? Then who cares whether or not my kitchen is actually dirty if you can’t see it?

God, help me to love the Light, even when it exposes the things I’d rather keep hidden.

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12