Ephesians 5: 13- 14a “But the light makes clear how wrong those things are. Yes, everything is made clear by the light”
Gotta be honest –I’m not a fan of winter. Darkness prevails long after my first cup of morning coffee. Darkness returns long before the first inkling of a dinner plan comes to mind. But thankfully, my favorite season has arrived: SPRING! Behold the beauty of new life in radiant color. I am ecstatic! That is, until all the glorious sunshine rushes through the windows and displays to the world my entire vintage collection of winter dust!
And just like that, my favorite spring season collides with my least favorite: spring-cleaning season. All that visible nastiness destroys my, “Out of sight, out of mind,” peace and I feel compelled to head to the cleaning supply aisle at the store – the aisle I successfully rushed past all winter long.
But spring-cleaning is scriptural. Chapter 5 of Ephesians instructs us to rid the filthiness from our lives and clean out all the nastiness of evil, greed, unwholesome speech, and sexual sin.
Like the bleakness of the winter season, our lives without Christ are filled with darkness. But the light of the Lord shines and exposes the dirt in our lives. When evil is exposed by God’s light, it’s time to roll up our sleeves and get to work purging any speck of sin from our lives. Once clean, we can redecorate ourselves with good deeds, clean living, encouraging words, and thankfulness.
Yes, spiritual spring-cleaning is hard work and exhausting. But like spring-cleaning, the transformation is worth the effort. So, let’s dust off our Bibles and disinfect every hint of sin from our lives as we prepare to reap incredible joy in God’s light.
Father God, may we always strive to live a life that is clean and spotless in your light. Thank you for the grace to forgive the stains we fail to remove.
HELPFUL HINT: Leave it to my sweet mother to find a positive in the winter season. Understanding that low lights can hide dust, she enjoyed entertaining by candlelight all winter long. Her guests thought her to be a romantic, when in reality, she just didn’t have time to dust. You’re welcome!
Blessings for a glorious spring,
Rita Cochrane