Luke 11:11-13  “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.” (NLT)

11:36  “If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light.” (NLT)

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No dark corners? 

How comfortable are you asking God to fill your life so full of his gracious goodness that there are no dark corners? 

I was in college when a friend’s father gave me a small booklet called My Heart, Christ’s Home. A quick internet search shows that these booklets can be purchased individually and in bulk. The essence of the book is a walk with Jesus through the rooms of your life. There are rooms you and I are happy to invite Jesus into, and there are rooms we would prefer to keep locked away.

You see where this is going, right? Jesus wants access to every room. He wants to illuminate each space. He wants to drive away the darkness. This chapter in Luke’s Gospel has a lot to say about this. 

Jesus says our Father in heaven wants to pour out his Holy Spirit into our lives to fill us, empower us, and use us to carry his light everywhere we go. He wants to fill us so full of the light of his presence that there are no dark corners. 

No dark corners. 

Why does this idea make us uncomfortable? 

The Holy Spirit does not come for the dark corners to humiliate us, but to illuminate us. He does not come to add to our shame, but to wipe it all away. He does not come to condemn us for the problems of our past, but to heal our hurts, renew our purpose, and to free us from every accusation and hindrance of the evil one. 

Today is All Hallows Eve, or Halloween for short. It’s that time when we mock death because we know it’s not the end of the story. Tomorrow is All Saints Day. Properly viewed, Halloween reminds us of death and gruesome endings that are possible when evil reigns. All Saints Day declares what God wants for us instead. 

He wants for us no more enslavement to sinful habits, no more shame, no more fear, no more dark corners. He wants for us more freedom to become who he created us to be, more illumination in our hearts and minds, and more beauty, wonder, and grace to share with others. 

He wants us to pass from death to life. (See John 5:24.)

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I will invite God to shine his light into every area of my life and drive away all my dark corners. 

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Our Father, make my heart your home. You are free to enter every space and drive out the darkness. I don’t want any dark corners to remain. Illuminate my life so that others may see your brilliance and beauty. Amen.