Grace Was ThereSample

There are two different words in Hebrew to express the word “shame.” One is bosheth, the kind of shame we feel when the weight of our sin and mistakes come to light. And the other is kalam, the shame we feel when we are embarrassed, rejected, or hurt by someone close to us.

Bosheth perfectly describes the way Adam and Eve felt in the Garden when they first sinned against God and looked for fig-leaves to cover up their bodies. It is also the shame or guilt we feel when we disobey God or feel ashamed by our actions or sinful past. We all know what it’s like to feel the shame of kalam, when a friend or family member wrongs us, speaks down to us, or speaks badly to someone about us. The first shame we feel when we hurt someone, but the second we feel when we are hurt by someone else. In the course of humanity, our story can be pretty much summed up by those two different meanings of the Hebrew words for “shame.” 

When Jesus looked towards the cross, He wasn’t worried about the pain that awaited Him there, as much as, the shame. The shame from all of our sin, and the shame from the rejection of others. All of that SHAME is what Jesus exchanged for us at the cross, so that we might abound in His GLORY.

Let this be our prayer: “Jesus, you have cleansed me of all shame, guilt, embarrassment, and feelings of unworthiness, because of what you did on the cross. You have crowned me in Your glory and have wiped away all of my past. Thank you for enduring the shame of the cross and my sin on my behalf, so that I might live in the light of your glory. I receive your glory and joy now, in Jesus name.”