Do you know what a light box is? A light box is a tool used by artists for tracing. You put a drawing on top of the lit up box, and put another paper over top to trace the picture. Artists often will make a pre-drawing and if they like it, will redraw it. A light box is an easy way to replicate a pre-drawing.
Without a way to see the lines, it can be hard to follow the pattern to trace; such as with life and following God. When we shine a light on our lives, it is far easier to see and conform to the pattern that God has laid out for us. How do we do that?
For one, through His word.
Psalm 119:105 says, "Your word is a lamp for my feet, and a light to my path."
God's word tells us everything we need to know in order to live this life (2 Peter 1:3.) His word creates belief in our hearts (Romans 10:17.) It opens our eyes and convicts us to go another way (Hebrews 4:12.)
God's word is the basis for our life.
That being said, why wouldn't we want to fill our lives with as much of His word as possible? When we choose to shine a light with His word, and accept the Holy Spirit's working in us, it changes everything.
This leads to an issue I would like to address. Since our lives should be filled with His spirit and His word, likewise, our brethren in Christ are light bearers. We are His church, His body. The church should be a massive light, blotting out the darkness in our wake. (Matthew 5:14.)
And still, we have to allow that light to touch us. By really being involved with our church family, that is one of the best ways to do that. They hold us accountable. They encourage us, and push us (Hebrews 3:13, 1 Thessalonians 5:11.) But we have to let them do so. (We also need to be the kind of people that others can open up to, but we'll talk about that a little further down)
When we try to keep things hidden, things stay in the dark. Sin likes the darkness. It grows like a tumor, or a parasite, consuming our souls. However, the more light we shine on the sin, the more it retreats. Darkness cannot thrive where light is.
It isn't that the temptation won't be there. Temptation will always be a thing. But there are many, many ways of escape that God offers us (1 Corinthians 10:13.) One of those ways is bearing one another's burdens.
Sometimes, the best thing we can do is just be open about how we are struggling. Is it hard? Yes. Yet, the bigger the struggle, the more light you need to shine on it.
Next, I want to discuss the kind of people we ought to be in order to be good support for our brothers and sisters.
When beginning to talk about being a support, it starts with the things we say about and to others. The things we say can hurt or help people's decision to open up in a time of need. If we go around calling certain people disgusting, gossiping and "spilling tea", saying judgmental or hurtful things about others, what makes you think people are going to want to come to us with their troubles? If we share things that make fun of or demean others on social media, what kind of image does that give off?
People will know we are Christians by our love for each other, as well as other people. (John 13:34-35.)
In order to truly shine a light on sin, we must first be humble and realize that we are all sinners in God's sight, (Romans 3:23, James 4:10.) We have to realize that the way we speak about people struggling with certain sins, or living in certain sins will prevent people from coming forward and asking for support and help.
There are many people I know who were struggling with certain sins for many years in secret finally left the church and walked away from God. They never opened up out of fear of how they would be viewed or treated.
Talking badly about people committing certain sins is pride, plain and simple. When we get to this point, whether we want to admit it or not, we are comparing ourselves to them and thinking that "at least we aren't as bad as them!" If you are doing this, stop it. Right now.
In God's sight, yes you are. But, somehow, God still wanted to extend grace to you anyway. This is the kind of attitude that Jesus often called out in the Pharisees and religious leaders of His day. We must clothe ourselves in humility. None of us are immune to sin, and God sees all sin as horrible. (1 Corinthians 10:11-13.)
I am not saying that every group in the church is this way, but we have to be vigilant of our minds and our tongues; that we are walking in love, compassion, and understanding. (Ephesians 4:29, James 1:26, Titus 3:2, 1 Corinthians 13:1.) We have to take this seriously. As the church, we have to support and love one another with everything we have. We all need this reminder.
We are supposed to restore our brethren in love and gentleness. (Galatians 6:1) Sisters, (and brothers too, if you're reading this) please be aware of how you speak. If we truly want to shine a light on sin, and help our brothers and sisters, we have be people of love, peace, kindness, humility, and gentleness.
The more open you can be, the more strength there is in numbers to hold you accountable. I am not saying you necessarily need to bare every little secret for the world to see. However, trying to hide our troubles and suffering in secret, as I have found, gets us absolutely nowhere in terms of growing and bearing fruit. Let's just be honest.
And, really look at your situation to figure out how open you need to be. Maybe you need a few soldiers holding you accountable, or maybe you need a whole army backing you up.
To wrap up, let the word of God be our guide, and convict us. Let the Holy Spirit work in us through His word. Next, we have our brothers and sisters in Christ for a reason! It's okay to be open and bare your soul about who you are. On the other flip-side, we truly need to be the kind of people that others can bare their souls to.
I am very fortunate to have been a part of a group of believers who love each other so very much. Never once have I felt judged for my problems in this group of people. But I know that not everyone is as fortunate.
We need to take sin seriously; but for a Christian, taking sin seriously means walking in humility with their own shortcomings and encouraging our brethren in their walk with God. Let us be whom God has called us to be.
Love,
Chelsea
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