Overcoming Shameনমুনা

Shame and Self-Worth

Shame is the belief that “I am bad” or that “something is deeply wrong with who I am.” For most of my life, I dealt with shame. I believed I was a worthless sinner, only tolerated by God because of Jesus’ work on the cross. Sure, I “knew” that God loved me, but I believed that I was still a “wretch” with minimal value.

Perhaps you’ve had a similar experience. Maybe you, too, believe you have little to no value, that there’s something deeply wrong with who you are, that you’ll never fit in or measure up, and that you’re a failure. Worse, you might think that God agrees.

Many in our world tell us that the solution to our shame is to simply believe in ourselves, and to just try harder to think positively. But there’s a significant problem with this method–it’s subjective, without any basis. What we desperately need is an objective and universal standard of our value. That can come only from our Creator, God Himself. The solution to our shame, the path to self-acceptance, comes through embracing what God says about us and His acceptance of us.

We are made in the image of God as the pinnacle of His creation. We were created with dignity and infinite value. The entire earth has been entrusted to us to rule and reign over. God created us and said, “It is very good.” The very breath of God breathed life into us (Genesis 2:7). He specifically made each and every one of us to be unique. It’s why we all have different personalities, gifts, and talents (1 Peter 4:10).

When human beings chose to sin and turn away from God, the first thing God did was come after them to restore the broken relationship (Genesis 3:9). Humanity’s turning away from God did not change our worth or God’s love for us. Though every human being is born sinful by nature (Psalm 51:5) and is in need of restoration through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, we still bear God’s image. Our inherent value never changed. That’s amazing!

Learning and embracing that God values and treasures me helped transform my view of myself and helped me begin to overcome shame. Ask God to help you learn and embrace what He says about you today.

God, please help me to see myself as You see me. Thank You for knowing me, inside and out, and loving me despite my faults and failures. Help me to believe who You say I am.