Tip of My Iceberg

I’m not a decorator, but I do get bored with the way things look in our home.

With a tight budget, we’ve often changed the appearance of rooms with a can of paint and a little creativity.

Back in the day, we sponge painted rooms; not a thing anymore. We’ve painted a whole room a wild color, one wall a really dark color, and each one of them has been pleasing in the moment.

After the first go-around of color craziness, we stopped painting closets.

Who looks into closets?

Nobody wanted to take everything out and unavoidably declutter whatever was found in there.

After over twenty-five years, we decided to replace carpets in bedrooms. Time and use hadn’t been kind to them. After clearing everything out, we decided to repaint all the rooms the same color.

Simple is our new creative.

With everything out of rooms and closets, there was no longer a reason to not paint those small spaces.

It would be so much easier to ignore them and allow them to stay hidden. Closets are dark, there are more corners that are the greater challenge, and walking away would save time and energy.

I have a dark closet in my life; I believe we all do. Those things we don’t want anyone to know about, the pieces of shame and guilt that we hide from the world and even our loved ones. Those things that, if exposed, may cause others to question whether we’re worth knowing.

Hiding is easier. Not sharing those dark places helps me manage an image that I can sustain. Where I can justify people liking me because I show up as a specific person that’s acceptable.

Even in our closest relationships, it’s a struggle to be fully vulnerable and honest. To show the shadow parts of who we are. Fear of rejection, of being misunderstood, of not having the chance to explain all combine to make veiling our true selves appear to be wise.

But like any dark closet, when things are revealed, the ugliness of what’s there could blanket the good of the whole person.

There is One who knows us fully and isn’t disgusted with the dark parts of our lives. He came to save us from the darkness that leads to death.

“Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, ‘I am the Light of the world. If you follow Me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” John 8:12

He spoke these words right after religious leaders wanted to stone a woman for adultery. Jesus had told them that if they were free from wrongdoing, they could cast the first stone.

They all left.

We’re all caught up in the darkness of our souls. We long to do right, but we continue to do wrong. Jesus came to let us know that it isn’t what we do that makes us right; it’s what He’s already done. Made payment for something we could never afford–life.

Dark closets exist. But inviting Jesus in and exposing our worst allows Him to blanket us with His best.

No paint required.