This Week's Devo

  The Color Within

I once took my daughter to a STEM event at a local museum. She had an assignment to complete, so we found a table demonstration and settled in, ready to learn.

The presenter held five small ultraviolet beads in her hand. They were dull—cloudy white, nothing special to look at. But then she shined a light on them.

Instantly, the beads transformed.

Purple. Green. Red. Blue. Yellow.

Each one revealed a vibrant color that had been there all along—but hidden. And the moment the light was removed, they faded right back to cloudy white.

The explanation was simple:
The molecules inside the beads were tightly bonded together, keeping their color concealed. But when exposed to direct light, those bonds broke apart—allowing the true color to be seen.

And I remember thinking… that’s us.

Without the light of Jesus, the makeup of who we are—our identity, our purpose, our design—remains clouded. We don’t reflect what we were created to reflect. We live beneath our calling, not because it isn’t there, but because it hasn’t been fully revealed.

But when we step into His light—really step into it—something begins to shift.

The bonds break.
The distortion lifts.
The true reflection emerges.

We begin to see ourselves the way God sees us.

And not just ourselves—we start to see everything differently.

Here’s what struck me most about that demonstration:

Those beads were already sitting in a well-lit room.

They were surrounded by light…
but they hadn’t received it.

And that’s where this hits home.

We can be surrounded by light—
church on Sundays, Christian community, podcasts, books, worship music—

…and still remain unchanged.

Because proximity to light is not the same as exposure.

Transformation doesn’t come from being near it.
It comes from receiving it.

From drawing close enough for it to actually reach us.

Jesus said in John 8:12,
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

That’s not just poetic language—that’s a promise.

Where His light is, darkness doesn’t stand a chance.

From the very beginning, when God spoke light into existence, He established His authority over darkness. He didn’t negotiate with it. He didn’t coexist with it. He pushed it back.

And He still does.

In your heart.
In your thoughts.
In the places you’ve tried to hide.

But here’s the tension we all feel:

Sometimes, we still choose the shadows.

Not because we love darkness—but because it feels safer there. Hidden. Protected. Unexposed.

John 3:19 says people loved darkness rather than light… because the light reveals things.

And that’s the part we wrestle with.

Because light doesn’t just reveal beauty—
it exposes what’s been binding us.

The filters.
The wounds.
The lies we’ve believed.

Maybe you’ve been hurt, and now you see relationships through distrust.

Maybe disappointment has shaped your outlook, and everything feels heavy or uncertain.

Maybe anxiety, fear, or past experiences have become the lens through which you see yourself—and even God.

Those are real.
They matter.
But they are not your identity.

They are filters—not truth.

And light has a way of exposing filters for what they are.

Scripture reminds us in Galatians 4:7 that we are no longer slaves—we are sons and daughters.

Children of light.

Which means we don’t have to stay bound to what once shaped us.

But we do have to bring it into the light.

Jesus also said,
“The eye is the lamp of the body… if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.” (Matthew 6:22–23)

In other words—what you allow in… shapes what comes out.

If we hold onto darkness, we will see through it.
But if we surrender it, the light fills every space it touches.

So the question becomes:

Where are you positioned?

Are you near the light…
or are you letting it reach you?

Refining Reflection

Take a moment and sit with this honestly:

What experiences have shaped the way you see yourself, God, or others? 

Where might those experiences be acting as filters in your life? 

Are there areas you’ve kept in the shadows because they feel safer there? 

Now gently bring those before the Lord.

You don’t have to fix them.
You don’t have to understand them fully.

Just invite Him in.

Ask Him to flood those places with His light—
to break what’s been binding you
and reveal what’s been hidden.

Because the truth is…

Your color is already there.
Your purpose is already within you.
Your identity is already established.

It’s just waiting to be revealed in the light.