Scripture of the Day:
2 Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
Shame RX of the Day:
The prevalence of shame still cannot undo what God has done for us.
Ok, so some of you may or may not have noticed that I have had a little alliteration going on with this week’s posts. We have talked about the projection and presumption of shame. Today I want to talk about the Prevalence of shame. Goodness. It is everywhere! Can you detect it?
Here are just a few:
Perception – How we see ourselves and the world around us can be colored by the lens we are viewing from. Can you identify with any of these thoughts/statements:
Self-worth:
“I look fat in this outfit. People will think . . .”
“They are not responsive to my leadership. It must mean something is wrong with me . . .”
“I cannot do this. I am not capable . . .”
Guilt:
“I should do that. They are expecting me too.”
“I really messed up. There is no way I will ever recover from this.”
And the projection of shame offers a lot of opportunities for us to defuse or accept the shame being placed on us.
Manipulation:
Someone assumes we are going to do something for them that we never said we would. They have an expectation possibly formed out of a co-dependent relationship or past behavior, but we are not held to that. We can start anew.
Examples:
“I thought you were going to . . .”
Response: “No, I cannot do that this time. If you ask me and give me more notice next time, I will see what I can do.
Setting an expectation and boundaries for the future with that answer helps to clear up the dysfunctional pattern of behavior.
Seeing the prevalence of shame erupt in our lives is an opportunity to see that shame through a different lens . . .
The prevalence of shame can be overwhelming unless we see take a step back and see the bigger picture. That moment of shame – a thought, a behavior, a perception, a projection – is just one moment that needs to be placed in context with all of life. Looking at the bigger picture, we see how small shame is – it only seems large in our eyes in the moment. As we look at this gift of life, we can choose to overlook the things that just don’t matter and realize that ALL of our shame was already covered. The prevalence of shame still cannot undo what God has done for us.
Taking our thoughts captive, we can view them in light of God’s truth in context of all of life. Our guilt, our shame has all been removed. Don’t receive it anymore!
What are some areas of hidden shame in your life that God has given you victory over? What are your strategies to overcome them?
Shame off you and me!
Come join the discussion at the Shame Off You Facebook Group just for women! See ya there!