If the light was not shining at just the correct angle, it would not be visible, but I knew it was there. It was a ding on the surface of my guitar. It was a careless accident when I bumped the guitar against the edge of my desk. I had owned the guitar for over 10 years and was proud that there were absolutely no scratches or dings, until now.
Unless I pointed it out to another person or if they were truly searching for it, it would not be noticeable. I was the owner and I knew it was there and no amount of guitar polish or angling of the lighting would ever remove it. The ding, the flaw, would always remain, in spite of my best efforts to cover it up.
There are many dings in my life that remain hidden to most of the people with whom I regularly interact. Only upon closer scrutiny will these dings be revealed. And as hidden as some of these dings are, there are still other flaws, so discreet that only I know they exist. And there even more flaws, oblivious even to me, known only to God, my Creator. These flaws are waiting to be revealed. It is my sinful pride that is deceiving me into believing they do not exist.
Watch out, brothers and sisters, so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception.
Hebrews 3:12-13 (CSB)
The most difficult task I face is to look in the mirror and realize that the flaws I see in others are actually magnified in my own life. I choose to either deny their existence or my sinful pride prevents me from acknowledging and recognizing them within myself.
Thanks be to God that His divine light shines on my life to reveal the dings and sins that I have hidden so well that even I cannot recognize them.
Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.
The Bereans Blog 