Grace For Your Waist-Living A Lifestyle Fitted With HopeSample

Name Your Shame

At an elementary school track meet, the school principal announced my weight to the entire third through sixth grade student body. In a very loud voice, he boomed “103 pounds!” That may not seem like a big deal, but I weighed as much as one of the boys who was practically two feet taller than me. 

It was as if an arrow pierced my soul. I was ashamed.

Why does it matter, you might ask? Because shame destroys your identity. It’s important to discuss shame openly and bring it into the light.  Let’s look at Eve’s example. She was immediately ashamed as she and Adam ate of the forbidden fruit. They tried to hide their action from God. Worst yet they tried to hide shame. Don’t we do the same thing with our shame?

Shame is at the root of every human; we’re all prone to be ashamed about something. It pops up in your body image, identity, family, parenting, finances, work life, addictions, religion, and the list goes on and on. This one feeling can conjure up all kinds of unattractive issues in your tissues.

Brené Brown, shame researcher, explains it like this: “The subtleness of shame lies deep within your soul and whispers false deception. Shame is all about fear and disconnection. This feeling of fear results in ridicule and affects how we view ourselves, either inferior, diminished or flawed.”

Shame is like mold. Until it comes out in the light it will continue to grow. You too may find yourself ashamed at various times in life. This often happens when we make mistakes and believe we are the mistake we made. Humans believe man’s opinion is higher than God’s. This unbelief results in fear and the disease to please.    

Don’t forget: Jesus gave your shame the death blow! He took your place on the cross and all your shame to the grave. He left it there and you should, too. You can be free of feeling unworthy, humiliated, and intimidated (a few of life’s heavy-duty offenses).  The weight of shame is not heavier than the cross Christ carried to Calvary. The inner wounds of shame were punched with nine inch nails. When Christ said, “It is finished,” His blood covered your shame. God’s grace outweighs every shame, and now we can believe we are unashamed!

Who or what do you need to forgive that’s caused your shame to remain?