What really impresses me about Tom is that he keeps his property so neat and tidy, keeping the hedge trimmed, the grass cut, all balanced by an array of colorful flowers. He is always looking to improve wherever he can.

One day a friend told Tom his concrete path looked black with mildew. He was annoyed he hadn't noticed it himself. Somehow the mildew had just crept up on him over a period of time. Now that he was aware of it, the dirty path suddenly detracted from the rest of the property.

There are different ways to clean a concrete path of mildew, but because Tom wanted a quick result, he decided to use a waterblaster. Another neighbor offered to lend Tom the machine. So, starting at one end, Tom methodically water blasted his path, working at the same angle throughout to get a uniform finish.

When Tom reached the other end, he looked back to admire his work. The path looked much cleaner but not as spotless as his fastidious mind had hoped. When he knelt down for a closer inspection, Tom saw the problem. Because he had water blasted from only one direction, at the same angle, some mildew had remained untouched because it was shielded by the stones and the pitholes in the concrete. Tom realized the answer. He water blasted the path again, this time in the opposite direction and varying the angle so as to dislodge the remaining mildew and flush it out. So after all his hard work Tom was able to enjoy the reward.

When Sin Is Like Mildew

Sin has much in common with mildew. We humans provide the ideal ground for sin to develop (Mark 7:21-23). Sin thrives in the fertile ground of lawlessness, hidden in the depth of our character, shielded from our view by events in our lives we deem to be more important, or just as likely, shielded by denial (Matthew 13:19-22; 1 Corinthians 3:18). The sin becomes glossed over. To reach these sins and dislodge them takes something to get under the radar, approaching from a different angle.

God is the One to see the angle to come from, depending on the sin, depending on the person. During this cleansing process, we may wonder what on earth is happening to us (1 Peter 4:12). Yet we know God will do whatever it takes to dislodge the sin as it resides in it's own comfort zone.

Job is a good example. He believed he was right with God. But God could see where Job couldn't see. Deep within his character there was a sin that needed to be rooted out. After heavy trials, with critical comment from his friends, God flushed sin to the surface and brought Job face to face with reality (Job 42:5-6).

Without God's Spirit actively working with us, we are not prompted to work at removing sin. We will not even know it is there. Even then, there are sins hiding in the deep recesses of our character that only come into play during a weak moment, or when we are under extreme pressure. But they are no match against God.

Using His Spirit and joining forces with a trial that is tailor-made for that particular sin, God can dislodge it and flush it to the surface. It may take some time for the trial to be put in place and to be applied at just the right angle, at just the right time. Only when the sin is dislodged from its hiding place can God reveal to us how our sin looks like to Him. When the sin is brought to our attention, it ought to generate a sense of shame and sorrow, twin stimulants for motivation to allow change to take place (2 Corinthians 7:9-11).

Motivation and Help to Change

When Tom's friend pointed out the mildew on his path, a little shame prompted Tom to clean it up. Shame, sorrow, guilt—call it what you will, all are tools at God's disposal to persuade a redirection and to propagate growth (Isaiah 30:22; Psalm 83:16).

As sins are exposed and God renews the heart and enlightens the mind, we know this is accompanied by some pain (Hebrews 4:12; 2 Corinthians 4:16). The body wants to hold on to sin (Romans 7:21-25). Yet suffering times are growing times (James 1:2-4). And while God cares about our physical and emotional well-being, He is more concerned about our spiritual future (1 Peter 5:10). He is always close to call on for support when we need Him because He is the author of this success story (Psalm 34:18-19; Matthew 11:28-30).

Every exposure of sin is a sign God is molding godly character within us, and He will do everything necessary to bring that about. Not only does God encourage us to cooperate at removing sin, He studies our attitude when we realize a particular sin is part of who we are. God needs to know the mind of the heart when it is placed under pressure.

As God works with us to uncover sin, inevitably others may be involved in this process because God is working with them too. This will require us to work together to give support and to resolve the problem (1 John 3:16). And when we overcome there is great joy in heaven (Luke 15:10).

When Tom finished water blasting, his path looked spotless. Yet more than that, it seemed to radiate a positive aroma over the entire property. Now Tom's house, the garden and, yes, even the neighbors, all feel the benefit of the clean up. Thanks, Tom, for being so passionate. You're a good neighbor! UN

Ken Reid is a member in Auckland, New Zealand.