If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

Several years ago I was spring cleaning and was elbow deep in one of my children’s closets when I came face to face with death.

A teeny, tiny turtle’s death, to be exact.

The turtle had been smuggled inside and had been provided its own little habitat in the darkest corner of the closet. Inside a plastic container there was food, water, and some rocks and leaves for the turtle to climb on and hide under. The whole thing had been protectively covered with a cozy blanket. 

Presumably to keep the turtle warm but mostly to conceal its existence. Ahem.

By the time I uncovered it the turtle had been a resident of the dark closet for a few days. Sadly, there were no signs of life.

There was, however, a foul stench!

I took the turtle outside and left it uncovered in the light and fresh air and went back to the business of cleaning out the closet.

A couple of hours later I made it back to the turtle, and lo and behold, that little turtle had come back to life! Its legs were moving, and it was scootin’ all around the box trying to find a way out.

I rinsed the stink off the turtle, took it to the neighborhood pond, and set it free. Before doing so I gave a heartfelt apology for the harrowing days it spent living in the dark and prayed that God might help it find turtle friends with whom it could live a long and happy turtle life. 

There is, after all, life after darkness!

We do something similar with sin, don’t we?

We cover our sin, and even go so far as to make cozy homes for it in the darkest corners of our lives. We convince ourselves that if nobody knows about it, it isn’t really hurting anything.

Oh sure, we can hide sin for a while, but just like the turtle that stayed under wraps…it doesn’t take long for it to start to stink. 

The Good News is the Light doesn’t expose us so God can shame us. It exposes what’s killing us so He can make us whole and get us scootin’ in the right direction again.

So whatever you've tucked away in the darkest corner of your heart, bring it into the light! Let God rinse off the stink, and let Him set you free.

Because there is, after all, life after darkness.

God, give us the courage to stop hiding what You already see. Show us the places where we’ve allowed sin to become comfortable, and help us bring those things into Your light. Thank you for the forgiveness and freedom we already know belong to us. Amen.