When Shame Gets RealSample

Paradise Found

Here is a sobering truth. As long as you are alive, shame will seek to invade your life. This is not because you are especially deserving of shame’s lies, but because shame can’t survive on its own.

Shame is a parasite. Plain and simple.

Yes, shame is a very powerful feeling, and, at times, its influence is oppressive and overwhelming. But shame can only thrive if it has a host to feed off of. Like all parasites, without that host organism, it will eventually wither away and die.

Understand, shame gets its strength from feeding off the lies and insecurities we carry around with us. That fear, anxiety, sense of worthlessness, past rejection, and self-condemnation we’ve experienced all provide the perfect fuel for shame’s existence and malignant growth.

And once it finds that proverbial chink in your emotional armor, it looks for daily opportunities to expose it, making it seem larger than life itself.

Of course, because we live in a broken world, we will continue to experience failure, pain, and loss—all of which provide the nutrients for shame’s survival. This is just the reality of our human existence.

But this does not mean we should give up hope or lose sight of the truth. The Bible tells us that God’s plan is one of complete restoration. He will not let his good world fall into a permanent state of decay, nor will he allow shame to continue to have a place in our lives.

Someday he will come back to set all things right.

Someday he will remove all our failures, worries, and pain.

Someday he will banish shame to the hell it belongs to.

But until then, we need to be aware and on guard. We need to recognize shame’s clever deceptions and tactics while resting in the knowledge that what Jesus did on the cross over 2,000 years ago clears the path for us to enjoy a shameless life.

Recognize that when Jesus was crucified he not only absorbed the punishment for our sins, but he also faced the shame of those sins as well. In other words, he suffered, so we don’t have to continue to suffer.

So, next time when shame comes knocking at your door, rather than letting it in, answer its accusations with the promises of God.

Shame says…

I’m not good enough.
I’m not worthy of love.
I’m a lost cause and too far gone.
I’ll never be accepted.

But God says because of Jesus…

I am more than good enough.
I am worthy of love.
I am forgiven and restored.
I am already accepted and part of a holy family.

Don't let shame have the final word in your life. Rest in the love of your creator and redeemer and live your life with the full confidence that you are complete and shameless through Jesus.

We hope this devotional series encouraged you. If you would like to learn more about conquering shame in your life, visit When Shame Gets Real today.

Today’s Questions:

• Are you willing to accept God at his word—that you are loved, worthy, accepted, and good?
• Are you ready to stop pursuing conditional love and acceptance and rest in the unconditional love of your creator?
• Can you let go of the shame you feel over mistakes you’ve made and accept God’s perfect forgiveness that is already available to you?
• Does it give you hope and comfort knowing that God’s plan is to fully redeem his creation and set all things right? Describe those feelings.