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| (picture from el.board.bigpoint.com) |
Let’s
face it, we have all felt shame.
Some
of us have endured it many times. Whether for an instant or it’s clung to us for
a lifetime, the anguish can be crippling.
People
dream about being naked in a public place. You may have even had that dream
yourself. You may have awakened feeling shame, as if it had really happened.
Even in a dream, shame is suffocating.
Whether
the shame was brought on by foolishness or a mistake on our part, or imparted
to us by a thoughtless and perhaps cruel person, its weight can be crushing.
Even
when attention is diverted from you and the shameful spotlight is turned off;
the feeling can linger and hide in the back of your mind, waiting to present
itself again unexpectedly.
Shame
is more than mere embarrassment. Its first entry at dictionary.com reads: the painful feeling arising from the
consciousness of something dishonorable, improper, ridiculous, etc, done by
oneself or another. Another entry reads: disgrace, ignominy. If we probe deeper, disgrace is defined: the loss of respect, honor or esteem; ignominy;
shame. Yes, I had to look up that funny sounding word, too. Ignominy means: disgrace; dishonor;
shameful.
Scripture
has a lot to say about shame; the Psalmist himself uses the word quite a bit as
he pens what his heart pours out. In the NIV Bible we can find the word shame
at least 147 times, and at least 112 times in the KJV. We are definitely not
alone in this experience.
The
first time I see shame noted is when Adam and Eve were naked in the Garden of
Eden, they felt no shame. (Genesis 2:25) Why is this pointed out to us?
Before
sin, there was no shame. Sin disgraced man, stripping him of righteousness, and
brought shame into the world, along with a host of other consequences. Although
we can feel shame without committing a sin, it didn’t exist when Adam and Eve
were one with God. Sin and rebellion separated them from God; and in that separation,
even their nakedness became something they sought to hide. When shame comes
upon us, we want to hide.
If
sin (therefore, separation from God) brought shame, how better to get rid of it
than by being reunited with God? Nothing we do in and of ourselves can bridge
that gap. But, God provided a means of redemption, through His Son Jesus, the
Christ. By accepting that Jesus took our sin, and all the shame that goes with
it, to the grave, exchanging His death for our lives, we are redeemed. That act
of grace (unmerited favor) provides the remedy for our dis-grace. We are
reunited with the Father, taking on His robes of righteousness to clothe our
exposed, vulnerable nakedness. This nakedness is more than the absence of clothing;
sin disrobes us of righteousness, a covering in which there is no shame.
When
we give ourselves to God, He doesn’t only want the good things He created in
us, He wants it all; the good, the bad and the ugly. He takes our sin and shame
and separates it from us as far as the east is from the west. (Psalm 103:12
KJV)
God
won’t force us into a life of freedom, but He offers it to us, generously.
“For it is with your heart that you
believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your
faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never
be put to shame.” Romans 10:10-11 NIV
