A refrigerator light is a valuable thing! My daughter’s had been out for so long that we had adjusted but joked that her fridge was “where leftovers went to die”. Because we couldn’t see beyond the first item on each shelf, anything that got pushed behind the front row was usually forgotten. Forgotten leftovers turn into ugly things. Rotten things that are in the darkness eventually get attention because they emit a stink that cannot be ignored. Fact-finding missions are then deployed to discover and purge the evil that has been allowed to fester and grow.

It wasn’t that they weren’t willing to fix the non-working light, they had just been lulled into believing the problem was unfixable, so they didn’t investigate. Until we did. The bulb was the first to be checked and that wasn’t the culprit. My husband dug into the problem (thanks to Google and YouTube), and found the part, ordered it, and was excited to see the outcome. Well, on the first attempt, the part didn’t fit. We fell back into the thought that it couldn’t be fixed.

My daughter, refusing to believe we had come this far, decided to try some alternative means to make the part work. After she dug further into the problem, she discovered that the receptacle for the part was just enough off to prevent successful attachment. She orchestrated a maneuver that took two people to pull off, using a very tiny space and precise fine motor skills. And perseverance. It took several tries, but they got it! The light came on! She was amazed at how the entirety of the fridge was now visible.

This was an incredible spiritual lesson of the value of light! “For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness but instead expose them. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light.” Ephesians 5: 8, 10-11, 13-14

Light exposes things, but that isn’t the end of it. Once exposed, what is seen can either nourish you, or it needs to be addressed and removed. Sometimes some effort is required to expose what shouldn’t be there. Once the light is introduced, discernment is necessary. What stays, what goes? Then, am I willing to get rid of the bad stuff before it becomes so foul that it overtakes some of the good stuff?

When we allow the Holy Spirit to make us a light that shines His glory, He gives us the ability/conviction about what energizes our soul, and what infects it. Then we have to purge the things that may have been in there so long that they are part of us and we are nose-blind to the stench. God is faithful. He will give us the discernment and strength to root out what needs to go. We may have to rearrange some things to access it, and to reach it, to get rid of it, but with the light of Jesus, a complete cleanse is possible.

Some things to consider: are we keeping our Light in good working order? Is it burning bright enough to expose what needs to go? Perhaps we need to access His Light in the first place. Or, perhaps our light is exposing things, but we haven’t done the work to oust the offender. Do we need someone to come alongside us to help us? To provide accountability?

Jesus is our Light. With this blessing comes responsibility: We must discern what is pleasing to Him and take the steps necessary to walk in His Light. Doing so will ultimately be for our good, for the good of those around us, and will bring Him glory!