God's Light Exposes Us

Written by Pastor Susan Adwalpalker

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​The other day I was standing at my kitchen window contemplating what I was going to make for dinner.
On that day the sun was shining so brightly it lit up my kitchen to reveal areas needing attention.
That bright sunlight exposed areas of my kitchen I thought were clean but weren’t. On the surface and under the shadow of 

artificial light and blackout curtains, my kitchen is spotless. But let the natural light of the sunshine through and every spot I haven't touched or just ignored becomes pretty evident.
​In that moment I felt the Lord place on my heart, ‘just as the sun in the sky exposes what is underneath and hidden; the light of His Son exposes what is truly underneath and hidden in our lives and hearts.'

Luke 2:2-3 states, "There is nothing concealed that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs."
The Message translates it like this:

In other words, God wants to expose those things in our lives that we have kept hidden because they aren’t healthy. They aren’t edifying. They are what is keeping us from being and becoming everything Christ desires us to be.
So many times, as Christian women, especially as women in ministry, we hide behind the façade of perfection. We hide behind the busyness of ministry, family, work, you name it. We’re not fully allowing the Holy Spirit to deal with the areas He is exposing.
The first thing I wanted to do when I saw everything the sunlight exposed was to close the curtains! I did not want to deal with it. If I’m being honest, there are still some spots in my kitchen I have yet to deep clean!
We tend to do the same thing with God. We don’t want to deal with what He’s exposing because it means addressing some uncomfortable and vulnerable truths, we have tried to hide behind the blackout curtains of our lives. We have people convinced we have it all together. I think many times we have convinced ourselves as well. 

God isn’t exposing our stuff to condemn us. He’s exposing it so He can heal us. When we said ‘Yes’ to Jesus we said Yes to His will. And His will wants to break those chains and generational curses of bitterness, offense, unforgiveness, anger, and many others.
I am not just a woman in ministry. I am not just a female pastor. I am not just a mother, friend, daughter, and sister. I am a broken vessel God is making whole. We all are. 

​We all have stuff we need to deal with. God wants to create in me, in us, a clean heart so our spirits can be renewed. He wants to do a deep clean of our hearts and souls so He can bring us to a new level of intimacy and refreshing.
For too long we have lived with the weight of our hidden messes, big and small. Our marriages are strained. Our children aren’t 

walking with the Lord or are struggling in their faith. Our churches are struggling financially, and attendance is down.

​So, how do we allow the love of Christ to begin the cleansing where we need to be restored?

•  First, we start by being honest with ourselves. We call our sin what it is – pride, fear, anger, resentment, unforgiveness, lust, indifference. We don’t do ourselves or others any favors by pretending everything is okay. 

People value honesty and vulnerability. They can tell when someone is faking it. Some of the biggest breakthroughs happen when we let go and allow others to see we aren’t perfect. Sometimes it’s okay to not be okay. When we let others in, we model what it looks like to surrender our sin, our pain, and our brokenness to a Savior who allowed Himself to be broken so we can be made whole.

• Secondly, we repent and pray. Now that we made ourselves vulnerable to God and to others, we simply repent and talk to God. Acts 3:19 (NIV) states, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” God promises times of refreshing, but we must repent and turn away from what is keeping us from Him. Then we reap the benefit that comes when we turn to Him.

• Lastly, we need our sisters in the Lord. Having trusted confidants and friends who we know have our backs is such an important part of this process. It provides us the accountability we need so we don’t fall back into the pattern of closing the curtain on our sin and shame. With trust and accountability we give that person full access and rights to speak into our lives, even if it hurts. When done in love, they help us stay committed in this journey. We are better and so much stronger together. 

Don’t close the curtains on what God is doing but instead pay attention to where He is shining His light of grace and revelation in your life.
God’s light exposing those areas is for our good. Turn toward Him and let His grace shine bright in your life. 

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Susan Adwalpalker is the Youth Pastor at Throggs Neck Community Church, a thriving multi-ethnic, multi-generational church in the Bronx. Susan is employed as a full-time second-grade Special Education teacher with the NYC Department of Education. Susan has been happily married to her best friend and husband, Nik, for over 22 years, has 3 amazing children, and one rambunctious but adorable chocolate lab named Harley. In her free time, Susan enjoys shopping, spending time with her family, creating fun videos, and watching Hallmark movies.