I have two questions for you to ask yourself when prominent Christian ministries erupt in scandal. The first is: who in your life keeps you on the straight and skinny? The second one is this: if a scandal broke out about you, what would it most likely be about? Rather than wag our tongues over another fallen leader, I think it would be wise to turn the spotlight on ourselves.

We are living in la-la land if don’t acknowledge we all have a dark side. Who among us doesn’t have the potential for great evil and great sin? It’s smart to humbly admit “there but for the grace of God go I.”

Matthew 5:16 tells us to; “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.” But what if the light shining on you doesn’t reveal good works? Not such a pleasant thought! It is less likely to happen if we accept scrutiny and cultivate transparency day by day.

Now is a good time to be open to examination – and not just superficially. Since we all have blind spots, we need to give permission to people in our lives to lovingly tell us what we don’t see for ourselves. We also need to be honest and commit to reveal our struggles even if it is embarrassing. It’s certainly not as embarrassing as public exposure would be should our secret sins ever become headlines.

Do you wish your good deeds to glorify your Father who is in heaven? Make sure your light shines in such a way.