Scripture of the Day:
Psalm 37:18-19 “The Lord knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will remain forever; they are not put to shame in evil times; in the days of famine they have abundance.”
Shame RX of the week:
Go to God’s Word for your label. His word promises that we will not be put to shame. And God has the final word.
You walk into the room and planned on saying hi but no one gives you eye contact and it seems like they are pretending you are not there. Or maybe they don’t recognize that you’ve walked into the room at all. You feel invisible and somehow tie your worth to your perception.
Or maybe you walk into a store and see someone you know and immediately duck to avoid eye contact. You feel shy or insecure for your appearance and would rather avoid having to be social. Invisible by choice.
Or maybe you’ve experienced when you walk into a group of people and they are all talking and you feel afraid to even speak.
Some people might just say you’re just shy. Or perhaps label you as an insecure person. But underneath the labels society places on us in an attempt to try to understand us, we all have to acknowledge those moments when we felt less then, felt shame just for our existence all on our own. Or maybe even tried to label others, too.
We try to understand ourselves and one another but don’t see the big elephant in the room: shame. But even still it helps us to understand where this shame comes from. Just to say that someone is insecure or shy doesn’t paint the whole picture. But when we ask God for wisdom, He can reveal why we behave the way we do in certain situations.
Truth
Through truth, we can admit that our shyness or insecurity, or anxiety all come from a focus on self. And a deep need for acceptance from others. It is as if we are seeking validation or worth because we feel so very inferior. This inferiority might come from the people we are around, but it likely comes from a deep place within our own hearts. Somewhere in our lives the honor that God gave us as children of God was replaced with the shame of our feelings or someone else’s feelings placed upon us. We might be afraid to look people in the eye, we might be afraid they might look down on us in someway. And so the fruit of that is shyness, anxiety, insecurity, and a host of other manifestations.
Humility
In humility, I know that I have weaknesses. I recognize that there are things about me that might not be celebrated. But this truth doesn’t crush me when I consider that we all fall short of the glory of God. Which brings me to God’s grace.
Grace
Because I know my feelings and weaknesses, and that everyone falls short, I see that we all need grace. So when people don’t give me the grace I so desperately need, I can run to God and ask him for grace to stand. And then supernaturally I can extend grace to those who are not extending to grace to me. Suddenly I find that my insecurity is replaced with the security in Christ. My shyness is replaced with the confidence in Christ, and not in self. My anxiety is replaced with the peace that surpasses all understanding.
The next time you are snubbed, or feel you don’t belong, or want to disappear at the thought of someone seeing you in public, in that moment recognize that you don’t have to behave that way anymore. Ask God for the root cause of that shame you feel. Then go to God’s Word for your label. His word promises that we will not be put to shame. And God has the final word.
Our Savior died for all of our sins and all of our struggles. We can go to him and ask to understand. We can seek wisdom so that we can put to death those things that limit our worth and put on our identity in Christ.
Why live with shame when you don’t have to? God has provided a way for us to remove shame and live in victory. Come and release your shame in Jesus’ name. Shame Off You details a biblical method for removing shame and is available at many retailers. Here are a few places you can get Shame Off You. Let me know you bought Shame Off You and receive a free bonus digital download.
I have purchased “Shame Off You” and am finding man, many ways I am affected by shame; mostly through my childhood, but not all. Thank you for presenting God’s Grace in such a meaningful, teaching way.
Hi Gloria!
Praise God! Isn’t God so good to reveal shame to set us free? I pray God enables you to grab a hold of His grace and to walk in the liberty of His freedom from shame!