John 3:20-21
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.
I think shame gets a bad rap these days. When you do something you know is sinful, feeling ashamed about it may be unpleasant but it's also a sign that your moral compass is still pointing in the right direction. The impulse to hide the wrong from others or from God often accompanies this feeling. It did when Adam and Eve fell to temptation in the Garden and that instinct still haunts us today. We don't want anyone to know what we've done. What will people think? What will God think? Sometimes, hiding our shortcomings in the dark corners of our minds and hearts becomes a habit. The shame eventually turns to numbness and the darkness of sin becomes more and more comfortable. But darkness is not a place for the soul to grow. It's a place of stagnation, of inaction. Like branches on the vine, we need light. We need His light. It's the antidote to the darkness we like to hide in. So, let the radiant love of God burn away your failings, sins, and the shame they cause like the rising sun burns away night to bring us a new day!
