What Needs Bleaching?

Recently, a doctor told me to bleach my face.

Yes—bleach.

I sat there, stunned.

“Like… what I use to clean my bathroom?” I asked.

Surely my gentle cleanser and toner were good enough?

The Blemish I Couldn’t Ignore

Let me back up.

A couple of months ago, while travelling through Europe, I noticed a small blemish on my face. I didn’t think much of it. But once I got home, I started treating it with everything I had—creams, cleansers, scrubs. I even began washing my face seriously.

But instead of improving, it got worse. The blemish spread. The pain began waking me up at night. And still, every morning, I did my best to cover it up and carry on.

Eventually (and reluctantly), I made an appointment to see the doctor. Thankfully, my usual GP was away—how vain, I know—and the new doctor took one look and gave me a diagnosis.

“You’ve done a good job covering it,” he said, “but it’s infected. You need strong antibiotics. And yes, you need to bleach it.”

He explained that bleach lasts longer, goes deeper, and—you can smell it.

It lingers.

Bring It Into the Light

That word stayed with me.

Over the following days, I felt the Lord whisper:

“Don’t cover it—deal with it before it spreads.”

Sometimes God shows us something under the surface—something not yet visible to others—and calls us to bring it into the light. To expose the enemy’s plans. To confront a lie. To stop gossip. To refuse distraction. To say, with courage: Enough.

Over the years, I’ve often discerned when something’s not right—but I’ve waited. And I’ve watched it spread. It’s uncomfortable to have those necessary conversations, but God has been challenging me to speak up and say:

“Bleach it.”

A Fragrance That Lasts

The doctor told me something fascinating:

Bleach has a lingering smell.

That made me think—when we let God cleanse us deeply, we carry a spiritual fragrance that others notice. Not something artificial or forced, but the lasting aroma of purity, grace, wholeness, and holiness.

We’re not called to live in cover-up mode. We’re called to live set apart, holy, and without blemish—not by our effort, but by God’s deep and lasting work in us.

“Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her, to make her holy… to present her without spot or wrinkle, holy and without blemish.”

— Ephesians 5:25–27

“Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”

— Psalm 51:7