TRUTH AND LIGHT
Jenna Worsham
Today’s Scripture: “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” 1 John 1:6, ESV
Theme: Hiding the truth—even from ourselves—will prevent us from having deep, authentic relationships.
BEST SELF
We may think that the image we should present to the world is the one that looks the best—best boss, best parent, best friend or leader —not the more authentic, broken person. I have worked hard to mask my flaws and shortcomings, but here are a few I’ll expose: I stutter when I’m angry, emotional, or nervous. Thus, I’ve learned to take a breath or pause to gather my thoughts in a professional environment. Additionally, I don’t always catch social cues, so I pay close attention and spend extra effort to connect before and after an in-person interaction if I felt awkward. I sometimes feel insecure and can be judgmental of both myself and others. This insecurity tempts me to clean up stories, share minor flaws and leave out the really shameful parts.
Resisting the temptation to tidy up stories is hard and necessary. I’m working on this. God helps me as I lean into His strength and grace. I know I still have a way to go because I’m thinking about rewriting this paragraph or leaving it out. You can imagine the sin I’m not revealing, although I wish you wouldn’t. Can we please leave all of that in the darkness?
THE DARKNESS
Leaving our sins, mistakes and shortcomings in the dark is like walking in the dark—it is a dangerous, bad idea. Is it easier to avoid traps in the dark or in the light? It's summer swim season and my son is on a team for the first time. At one of his first meets, an experienced swimmer lost his goggles during his dive from the starting block into the pool. He swam the race blind, swimming straight, finishing in good time, hopping out, and opening his eyes. We marveled at his training and calmness. The littlest kids stop to fix their goggles if they leak and lose time because they are afraid to swim blind —and maybe for good reason. It’s one thing to swim blind in a controlled pool with lane lines and a known distance, but what if the swimmers had been in the open ocean with coral, rocks, and wildlife?
THE LIGHT
"This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5, ESV). God is light. By light, we mean truth, absolute goodness, unmarked by any darkness or sin. If we remain in a dark room long enough, our eyes dilate. Suddenly stepping out into a brilliantly bright and sunny day without a shadow around? That’s going to hurt. If will be difficult to tolerate. I’d reach for sunglasses. Yet if I would endure, squint through it, and allow my eyes to adjust, they would become able to see clearly and brightly.
Admitting our sins and struggles is much the same. At first, it is painful to come out of our own darkness and into the light. Yet real relationships are impossible without authenticity. We are unable to understand what we can’t see. When there are forbidden places, they can’t be cared for or known. Those hidden parts leave us strangers, rejected because we will never have the chance to be fully known. Even if it is ugly, if it is in the light we can choose to change it, work on it, or ask for help with it. Honesty about our struggles please God, even before we make one change. Our vulnerability encourages others to fight against their own sins—out in the open—rather than hide them.
Make It Personal: How are your relationships? Do you think they are real and authentic, based on the truth? Consider whether others think you are perfect, and if they do, why? Do you agree with them? How can you step into the light and out of the darkness this week? Even if nothing changes, the truth loosens bonds and allows us to take a step towards freedom.
Pray: Pray this Psalm with me:
Lord,
“For you save a humble people,
but the haughty eyes you bring down.
For it is you who light my lamp;
the Lord my God lightens my darkness.”
May it be so for us today. In Jesus’ Name, amen. Psalm 18:27-28 (ESV)
Read: Isaiah 9:2; Matthew 5:14; Psalm 119:105
Weekly Memory Verse: “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.” 1 Peter 4:8-9, ESV