Friday, April 9, 2010

The True View


I was taking my son Daniel to work the other morning. Our normal route is to drive east on Interstate 10 and we are usually on the road around 7 am. Now if you are familiar with Houston roads and especially east bound roads, the view of the sun rise is phenomenal...until the sun comes and "sits" on the road, then it is absolutely blinding.

This particular morning, God revealed something to me.

As I am trying to adjust my visor to strategically block the sun's rays without blocking my view - I noticed something. As the sun shined brightly through our windshield, the windshield that I thought was clean was actually filthy. There were water spots from our sprinklers, smudges from fingerprints, streaks from our attempts to clean the inside of the windshield, and chips and dings from the rocks that had hit our windshield in our travels. The bright sunshine showed me all the flaws in what I thought was good.

God's Son, Jesus, does the same thing in our lives. He is the Sonshine - the light - that shines and shows all of our imperfections. When His light shines in our lives we see the filth and dirt from our sin choices, the scars from our travels through life, the smudges of other peoples touches on our hearts and minds, the streaks that we create when we try to do things ourselves and instead make it worse. Unlike the sun who can do nothing about the condition of our windshield, the SON says in regards to our life, ""I am willing," he said. "Be clean!"

Going home and heading west, I thought I would be free of the glare on my windshield. Instead, the brightness of the new morning sun shined through my rear window and reflected off my rear view mirror. As I adjusted the mirror, I noticed once again that the sun had shown me all the imperfections on my rear windows.

I know that there have been times that when the Holy Spirit convicted me of things that needed correcting right now I have responded by running the other direction. No matter which way I am facing, His light will always show me those things in my life which are not like Him and that need to be cleansed with His love and forgiveness.

I am learning to not flinch when God shows me things that need to be corrected in me: attitudes, unforgiveness, fear, untruth, rebellion...all of these things can very quickly pop up and grow if I am not sensitive to His leading.

Recently, I found myself angry at a particular person (no, it was not you...). As I drove down the road, conversations with this person would start in my head. They would just creep in and the next thing I knew, I am mad. The Holy Spirit would come and convict me of having "vain" imaginations and out would start the scripture on my lips, praying for this person and crying out to God. Twenty miles would go by and a random thought would start me all over again. By the time home was within sight, I was exhausted but victorious. God's light had shown me what was not good and then showed me how to clean it up - over and over again.

Be encouraged. The next time the Son shines in your life, let Him show you what needs to be cleaned and then let Him do it. Victory is yours.

How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! Hebrews 9:14

Jesus, thank You that you did not come to condemn but to set us free. Thank You that you are so patient and love us even when we turn and run. Help me to respond quicker to You that I may proclaim Victory in Your name. amen