Free From Shame - How the Gospel Redeems Our Past and PainSample

Has shame ever distanced you from a loved one, friend, or coworker? Maybe you are avoiding a friend you gossiped about. Maybe you have distanced yourself from your parents after their response to a failing grade. Scripture reveals shame’s effect on relationships.

Shame leads to a broken relationship with God. However, it can also lead to broken relationships with others. Scripture also reveals how Christ reconciles us to the Father, enabling us to mend relationships in which harm was caused.

Coming back to Adam and Eve, we read the conversation they had with God after He exposed their disobedience. We see separation in their response. Instead of running to God for forgiveness, they hid from Him in fear, causing themselves to be separated from the only One who could help them. Then, they began to shift blame onto one another. Adam said, “The woman you gave to be with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate” (Genesis 3:12). Adam placed responsibility for his sin on Eve and even blamed God for giving Eve to him. If we look closely, we can see ourselves reflected in this narrative.

Like Adam and Eve, our relationship with God was broken. Shame deceived us into believing that God was not safe, putting distance between us and His love. As a result, we had broken relationships with others, failing to take responsibility for our actions and seeing those around us as the problem. Perhaps we still struggle with letting our restored relationship with God drive us to seek reconciliation with those who have harmed us.

Yet, through our faith in Jesus, shame no longer causes separation between us and God. Now, we can take responsibility for and repent of our sin, knowing that God does not condemn us and is working to change us. This glorious truth can lead us to reconcile with others. Christ is our refuge when others have harmed us. We can flee into the safety of His arms when others harm us. It is in Him that we can offer forgiveness and compassion, just as Christ did for us.

Reflect and Respond

How does faith in Jesus change the way we react when others hurt us?