The Vacuum Cleaner and the Revealing Light

The Vacuum Cleaner and the Revealing Light

I got a new vacuum cleaner about a month ago. I hate it! It has a light. That is the worst part. The light, which should give me a better view of the floor so I know where to steer the vacuum, only reveals what I’m leaving behind: dirt, dust, dog hair, people hair, leaves, and other floor trash. The vacuum sucks some of it away – in little strips, but it leaves a huge amount. It just can’t dust mop hardwood floors. I should feel good about vacuuming and how clean my floors are after I’ve spent all that time on them. But I can’t. I don’t. The revealing light has shown me what I’ve left behind, and even though I can’t see it when the light is gone, I know.

For a while I would dust mop and then vacuum, but that felt like I was doing two jobs, and I soon got tired of that. So, I just quit vacuuming unless I really, really had to. I swept or swiffered or picked things up with my hands, just so I didn’t have to break out the dreaded revealing light.

You know God and His word are compared to light.

Psalm 19:8(b) – “ The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.”

Psalm 119:105 – “ Your word is a lamp unto my feet and light for my path.”

Psalm 119:130 – “The unfolding of your word gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.”

John 8:12- “ When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

1 John 1:5 – “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.”

The God of all creation is light. His commands give light. His word gives light. This light gives understanding. It brings life. The light reveals God’s commands. We understand them, and we understand we are sinners in light of them. We cannot possibly follow those ten commands and get it right all the time. The revealing light of the LORD shows us exactly how dirty we are. That is a fearful place to be – in the dreaded revealing light looking at all the dirt.
So what do you do? Do you work really hard doing all kinds of things to clean yourself up? Do you clean up this or that . . . because all is too much? Do you just quit trying – put up the light of the LORD because it shows you too much? Is it too overwhelming? What do you do? The dirt doesn’t go away. Just because you don’t pull out the dreaded revealing light doesn’t mean it isn’t there; you just can’t see it as clearly. And, you know, its stacking up – all the that ignored dirt. Its growing.

I was feeling pretty hopeless about my floors, knowing all that dirt was there and knowing the vacuum I had wasn’t really doing that job I needed done, when one night, while watching tv, I ran across an infomercial for a vacuum. Now, I don’t normally pay attention to those things. I flip, flip, flip, right past them. But this one – ah! This one was something I needed. The longer I watched this informercial telling about the two rollers and no loss of suction, the more I knew I needed it. The front roller was the secret. Its soft, red, velvety construction picked up all the fine dust, dog hair, and particles that a one roller vacuum leaves behind. The light on this baby reveals, but the red velvet roller cleans it all up. What a wonderful vacuum! I knew this was the answer to all my floor woes. I ordered it!

Now I have a new, new vacuum. It works wonderfully, and does exactly what the informercial said it would do. My floors are clean – and my ceilings and my walls and my curtains! In fact, I will find a reason to bring the vacuum out for some cleaning. I’m so excited to both know how dirty my floors were, and to know how clean the little red-velvet roller gets them.
This is where Psalm 27:1 comes into our “The LORD is my light” story:
“The LORD is my light, and my salvation – whom shall I fear?”
Yes! The LORD is my light. His commands reveal where I sin. His word unfolds, giving light and understanding. But, He doesn’t leave me trying to clean things up on my own. The velvet, red blood of Jesus washes away my sins. Jesus cleans up the dirt – the drifts and eddies and piles of dirt. He wipes them clean and takes them away. I am left knowing how much dirt the light of the LORD revealed in my actions and my heart, and, most of all, knowing that my precious Jesus took it away! What a marvelous thing!

No longer do I have to struggle to clean it all up myself or pick and choose what to clean or even ignore it. Now, I can look over my life and say,
“The LORD is my light, AND my salvation – whom shall I fear?”

My friend, you can say the same thing too. Jesus is your salvation as well. Know that he has done the work you cannot do. Jesus has taken away the sins of the world. Rest in this! Live in joyful obedience to a savior who has washed you white as snow.

Thank you, Jesus, that You both reveal my sins and take them away. It is the gift of knowing - knowing what was there, and knowing that it is not there any longer. It is the gift of grace, for I do not deserve your great and generous forgiveness, but you give it to me anyway. You give it to me out of love. And all I can say is “Thank you . . . Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”