Focusing again today on the idea of sin, and what should be done with the sins that have passed. The things that we cannot erase or fix by any conventional means. The iredeemable trespasses. I am reminded again of Genesis, and the famous line "let there be light."
Light is a consistent returning and redeeming theme. Light is the key to sight, it makes things visible to us. The reason many choose to live in the shadow and behind the light is not usually because they are made of darkness, though some might believe they are. It is to keep the flaws hidden so that others do not mock them.
Genesis 3:8 - After sinning, they hid from God among the trees of the garden. This act of hiding is emblematic of our human condition, preferring the comfort of shadows over the vulnerability required by light, but what else hides in the shadows? What else waits in the darkness?
Most people, myself included once, will use the following excuse not to attend church. "They are hollier than thou, and will ridicule and point to your sins ignoring their own." This is actually a true statement. It's true of everyone both secular and non, but rightly Christians are held to a higher standard. It is a flaw so blatantly obvious because we live in the light, and so our flaws are easily seen, and we easily see the flaws of others. But we often fail to use the light solely for its intended purpose which is simply to cast out the darkness so that we, and others can see. We often get tripped up on what becomes visible be it flaw or beauty and stop to admire or ridicule when we are actually called not to stop and fix, but to continue shining light in the darkness. It is not on us to fix the flaws, we can't. It is on us to make them visible, as they are obstacles on the path to the one place we are all supposed to be heading. That light is not ours, it is a gift, Jesus is the light. When we stop to look at these obstacles we become the obstacles. We block the light, and we cause those behind us to remain in darkness. What flaws do you think you see? That's your shadow they stand in.
Ephesians 5:8-13 - "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord." This passage encourages us to live openly, using the light not as a tool for judgment but as a means for goodness and truth to prevail. The light must shine through you, as it does not come from you.