Principle Passages: Whatever is in the Dark … Wins (Mark 4:21-22)

“Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.” ~ Mark 4:21-22

Throughout the Bible there are passages containing biblical principles for godly living. If you put these principles into practice you will live a life pleasing to God. Moreover, others will see a difference in your life and be more likely to consider the claims of Christ.

All children in every culture play some version of the game Hide and Seek. Everyone hides while one person, who is “it,” closes his or her eyes and counts to 100. This person searches for the others and the last person found is the winner. Throughout the game the person who is “it” searches everywhere to find the most well-hidden individual. In a sense, the behavior of “it” has been controlled by the eventual winner.

In the “game of life,” there are unflattering things about yourself that you keep hidden from others. In fact, sometimes these parts of you are hidden so well that you aren’t even aware of them. These aspects of yourself are the winners because they stay hidden and control your behavior. It’s to your advantage to let allow others to “find” these troubling areas of your life.

Years ago my late wife told me I have a tendency to project an image of intellectual and spiritual spirituality. I told her I thought she was crazy. Then I went to my men’s small group and laughingly told the guys what my wife had said about me. No one said a word for quite awhile. Finally, one of them cleared his throat and said, “You know, Steve, you do have that tendency.” Ouch!

I was exhibiting a prideful behavior that others saw in me, but I didn’t recognize in myself. My wrongful sense of my intellect and spirituality was controlling my behavior. But when this tendency was brought out of darkness into the light my behavior started to change. It still rears its ugly head at times, but usually I immediately recognize it and ask for forgiveness.

Someone has compared the different parts of you – the good and bad – as being passengers on a bus. In this analogy, the bus is you; therefore, you can’t throw any of the passengers off the bus even though you might want to. For better or worse, they are along for the ride. So the key question is, “Who’s driving the bus?” That’s something you can decide and choose the route your “bus” will take.

So the question remains, “Who’s driving the bus?” I suggest that you ask the people who know and love you to answer that question for you. Their answers may very well surprise you.

If you’re married, your spouse is the first person to ask because no one knows you better. For everyone, a good rule of thumb is to ask people who know and love you despite what they know about you. Whatever these people tell you, bring it into the light by acknowledging these behaviors, asking for forgiveness, and asking God to empower you to live a life pleasing to Him.

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