There's a window in our house that the sun shines through really brightly, too brightly,
at about the 5:00 hour in Spring.
I usually close the shade on it because it gets almost blinding at certain points.
But the other day, I left it open.
I don't know if it was because I just didn't get around to closing it, or if it was that I just felt like I needed the house to feel open after a long day, or what.
So there came the sun, blasting through, in a blinding yellow beam right through my house.
It was the time of day, before hubby comes home, that I usually try to start cleaning up a bit...
sweep and vacuum, etc. so that he can come home to a (somewhat) put-together house after a stressful day at work. So I got out the broom and went to sweep the dining room, which is always the place most ridden with goldfish or shredded cheese or whatever was consumed by little people that day.
That's when I saw it.
ALL the dirt and dust glaring at me as that bright window light shone on it.
I couldn't believe how much the light showed.
It even made me say "eww" to myself.
And then it hit me.
I never usually have that window open and this light shining in here...
so i must be missing so much dirt and mess every other time!
(sigh, frown.)
There was just something about that specific kind of light.
That bright, yellowy, cover-your-eyes kind of light...
that showed the littlest particles that needed cleaning.
The stuff my normal overhead light doesn't allow me to see.
Then my spirit started to feel moved, like the Lord was about to speak.
And He did.
He showed me what a literal picture this was about letting light shine in the darkness.
Letting light I am not normally comfortable with...pour through MY windows.
It's something He has been speaking to us about lately,
Bringing things into the light that don't need to stay in the dark.
And what I saw here? when you can SEE them, they can be cleaned.
in other words, those things, those dirty, hard things...
can be healed, forgiven, and set free when they don't stay in the dark anymore.
His heart for me, for you, is for our hearts and minds to be SO FREE of dirt and clutter and mess
that we have room to FEEL free.
To walk in that peace that actually does surpass understanding.
To be rid of shame, anger, lust, jealousy, judgement, etc.
Whatever it is that is clouding our hearts.
Things that you may not even KNOW are clouding your hearts and minds.
..until you let some light shine on it.
I have witnessed it in my own life and in some lives close to me...
when things are brought into the light, sometimes it hurts like hell.
You know why?
Because a lot of times, it IS from hell.
It is NOT of the Lord's will for us, and so when we live in it, it hurts us.
And when we try to get free...if we don't do it with the Lord's help, and try to control it ourselves... it's gonna keep hurting.
How can we let light in?
That kind of light that can show us exactly the mess we might be missing,
that would actually bring us more freedom and closer to Him and to who we know we are meant to be?
first of all, and I think the most important...
we have to start from a place of believing Him.
I didn't say Believe IN Him.
BELIEVE Him.
That what He says about you is true.
That what He has promised is true.
That His character and His nature is GOOD.
Always.
Because when we believe that, we can trust He will see us through when we start working through the junk. That there will be another side.
Surround yourself with things that bring you LIFE.
Pour into Truth.
Talk to friends who you know will be honest with you and ask hard questions.
Be open with your spouse if you are married.
Ask for help from others in the same season as you.
Just start thinking about this at least.
About what in your life might need some freedom.
And remind yourself that it might feel really great to let some uncomfortable, and perhaps even a little bit blinding, light in...
because full freedom is totally worth it.
- - - - - - - - - -
(more discussion to come on the process of letting light in...I think this is a good starter to remind us that there may be some spots in our hearts that need cleaning. I am excited to work through this... start asking yourself and the Lord what places in your heart might need some more freedom.)
