"and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless."
Ephesians 5:27 (NIV)
You smooth out the wrinkle before anyone walks in. Maybe it is a messy room, a messy mood, or a messy week. You straighten it up enough so no one notices. But today's verse talks about a wrinkle you cannot smooth out yourself.
Picture a wedding dress the night before the wedding. Someone has gone over every seam, checking for any wrinkle. Ephesians 5:27 says Christ presents His church looking exactly like that. Every wrinkle gets His attention before the moment of presentation.
1 John 1:9 tells us how the stains actually come out. It says if we confess our sins, God forgives and purifies us. Confessing is not the same as hiding something a little better. It is bringing the stain into the light so it can be removed.
Most of us know how to look fine on a Sunday. We can smile, answer politely, and keep our struggles out of view. Meanwhile, the wrinkles in our actual lives stay hidden from each other. But Christ already knows what is underneath, and He is not put off by it.
Something in your life feels unfinished, and you know what it is. You have probably been smoothing over it for a while now. What would it look like to stop hiding that one thing? Bring it to Christ today instead of managing it on your own.
Godseekers, that wrinkle you keep smoothing over is not a secret to God. The Bridegroom already sees it, and He is still preparing to present you as radiant. You do not need His presentation of you to depend on your own smoothing. Let Him see the wrinkle, and let Him be the one who removes it.
Prayer
Holy Father, we think of others in this church who are hiding something today. Someone is smiling through a struggle they have not told anyone about. Someone else has been carrying shame they think is too much for You to see. We ask You to meet each of them gently, right where they are. And help us bring our own hidden things to You as well. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Personal Reflection
- What is one thing you have been smoothing over instead of bringing to Christ?
- How could our church become a safer place for people to stop hiding their struggles?
Step of Faith
Today, say out loud, even if only to yourself, the one thing you have been hiding from God. Tell Him you are done managing it on your own.
