When you buy an old house to renovate, you can’t just slap a fresh coat of paint over a rotting foundation and call it a day. You have to pull up the floorboards, inspect the damage, and do the dirty, uncomfortable work of ripping out the rot. We spent years slapping fresh paint on our lives, hoping nobody would notice the structural damage underneath. Recovery requires us to finally do the dirty work of self-examination. Asking God to “search me” is an invitation for His light to expose the dark, rotting corners we’ve kept locked away. It requires us to drop our defenses and let the Creator evaluate our anxious thoughts and our offensive ways. God does not expose our faults to condemn us; He exposes them to heal us. You cannot treat a wound you refuse to look at. When we courageously invite His searching light, we are finally able to tear out the rot and be led into a stable, everlasting way of life. | 
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