The "Hyde" Within

I just watched our high school drama department perform Jekyll and Hyde. Kudos to the cast and crew! Fantastic job! As I drove home, I couldn’t help thinking about how no matter how hard Mr. Jekyll tried, he could not defeat the evil Hyde within him. The same is true today. No matter how hard we try to put to death our sinful nature, we will always fail. We cannot overcome evil on our own. Only Jesus has the power to defeat the power and presence of evil in our lives. Romans 12:21 tells us, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” It is only through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit that we can do this.

There’s a song in the play called “Façade.” Below are some of its lyrics:

There's a face that we wear
In the cold light of day -
It's society's mask,
It's society's way,
And the truth is
That it's all a façade!

There's a face that we hide
Till the nighttime appears,
And what's hiding inside,
Behind all of our fears,
Is our true self,
Locked inside the façade!

Every day
People, in their own sweet way,
Like to add a coat of paint,
And be what they ain't!

That's how our little -
Game is played,
Livin' like a masquerade
Actin' a bizarre charade -
While playing the saint!

Lots of people try and hide behind the mask of religion – of being a “good person.” The truth is every single one of us is sinful. None of us are good. However, God sees behind the mask; he can read through the lies – and He loves us anyway. He died so that "Hyde" (our sin) wouldn't kill us. This is truly amazing to me!

Not only did he die for us, but he works in us daily to eliminate the darkness in our lives so that his light might shine through us. “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). May God daily kill the “Hyde” within so that his true LIGHT may shine.

Just Enough to See

One of my favorite memories of Michael was when he would play hide and seek with Jorjanne. You see, they didn't just play hide and go seek -- they played in the dark. Michael would strap a headlamp onto his four-year old angel's head and then he'd go hide. She would count to ten and dart around the dark house and she'd squeal when she found him!

The thing that amazed me was that as long as she wore the headlamp, Jorjanne was never afraid to move around alone in the dark. It was just enough light for her to see. I read a book shortly after Michael died called, Just Enough Light for the Step I'm On by Stormie Omartian.

I don't want to compare God to a headlamp, but hey, He is the Light of the World. While He could shine so brightly it would blind us all (fiercer than the blazing sun), but instead He gives us just enough. In the dark times, I often want Him to shine a bright headlight instead of a dim headlamp, but He doesn't. He knows that if I saw into the future, I'd be overwhelmed. He gives me just what I need.