PEA RIDGE — It happens every year and it gives us all something to talk about, yes summer is right around the corner. The sun is bright and the temperature is rising. Soon, we will all be talking about how hot it is outside, almost like it’s a surprise to us. It’s almost as though we don’t realize that every year the temperature hovers around 95 to100 and the humidity rises. Yet, there we are having conversations with total strangers talking about the heat.
Have you ever noticed how much the sun exposes objects around us that normal lighting just cannot do? Have you ever looked in a mirror while using the natural sunlight to see imperfections or wrinkles that normal lighting does not show? When we go to try on clothes at the mall, they are very careful to usethe right lighting and mirrors to make us look better in the clothing. No store would use skylights and regular mirrors for their dressing rooms.
The reason is that the sun exposes us for who we are. It reveals all of our imperfections that can be hidden by artificial lighting. So when I look at myself in the mirror with natural sunlight, I see the real me.
The same happens when I look to the Son of God.
When I use things that only bring artificial happiness, it only makes things appear to be right on the outside.
So when we use artificial lighting on our lives, then we can fool ourselves into believing that the wrinkles aren’t that bad.
We all use artificial lighting to view our lives. We use family or friends whodo not really understand God’s Word or misinterpret its meaning. I misinterpret Scripture in my own life and have given bad advice over the years. We must be careful to take what we hear and see in media, news, movies, music and books and filter them through Scripture. We must be willing to develop a Biblical worldview.
When I take my life and examine it through Scripture, I no longer can hide my imperfections. Through the light of Christ, I see my own sinfulness and pride. That can lead me to repentance and then worship. It leads me to repentance because I see my sin and I am broken over it. I am led to worship because I know that I am covered by Jesus’ death and resurrection.
So summer is almost here and it’s going to get hot. The sunlight will expose the way my skin really looks in a way that artificial light simply cannot. In the same way, God’s Word can expose who I really am which will lead me to confession and worship.
My outward imperfection will only get worse as they spend time in the sun, but my soul can be rejuvenated by the Son’s light shining in some dark places.
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Editor’s note: Michael Smith is the youth pastor of First Baptist Church, Pea Ridge. He can be contacted at [email protected].
Church, Pages 2 on 05/30/2012