Dirty Windows

 

“Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”

—Hebrews 10:22

After a gray, cold, lifeless winter, I love looking out on a beautiful sunny day in May at the greening trees, the flowers, blue sky, and the new life all around. However, as I look out on the world, I notice that I am peering at this delightful sight through dirty windows.

In the winter darkness and gloom, I didn’t even notice the spots on the glass, which now blatantly stare back at me. What made the difference? I think the desire to take longer looks at the beauty combined with the extra sunshine and lengthening days added up to a new revelation of this untidy predicament.

Can we see our own lives in a similar way? Until the Light of the glory of Christ shines on us by the work of the Holy Spirit, we don’t even see the darkness of sin in our lives—the things that have gotten out of control from inattention. When Jesus taught His disciples about what would happen once He went back to Heaven, He spoke in John 16:7-8 about the Counselor—the Holy Spirit—who would come in His place. Jesus said:

“When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.”

God gave His Holy Spirit to us in order to keep us aware of sin, to help us feel the conviction of our wayward, spotty lives, and to agree with Him about our need for cleansing. King David had greatly sinned against God, and barely noticed, it seems, until the prophet Nathan came to him under God’s direction. The Holy Spirit turned a holy spotlight on his sin, which David could no longer deny. In Psalm 51:7, David cried:

Cleanse me with hyssop and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Just as we hate looking through dirty windows on a beautiful world, God want us to hate the sin we have to look through when we’re trying to see Him. He waits with His heavenly squeegee to clean us up and renew our vision for Him.

Bring the light of His presence into your life again with a look at the windows of your soul, and ask for His cleansing from all that darkens your view!