SHAME
Shame has a definition. It's the effect of sin
Shame claims an identity. It belongs to each of us
Shame holds its prisoners. It rarely lets go
Shame is rarely honest. It most always lies
And when it lies….we call it pride
Pride is what we do when people get too close to our shame. It's what we do.
Bonhoeffer said that shame is evident when a man won't meet another man's gaze…or rather when he refuses to hold that gaze. He looks away. He's ashamed.
Shame is the first sin. It's the original sin. It's what made Adam and Eve hide in the garden. It's what made them cover themselves with the skin of animals. It's what kicked them out of Eden and it's what happened when they ate from the tree. It IS the knowledge of good and evil. It's knowing the difference.
Shame makes us suffer with ourselves. It makes us hurt, deceive, abuse and even kill those who get to close to seeing what we are or who we really are.
Shame is why women wear makeup. It's why we're always on a diet. It's why we wince at our reflections. It's why we put other women down. It's why we live out our dreams through our children. SHAME.
Shame is why men lose their tempers. It's why they boast in their careers and their appearance. It's why many reject bravery and embrace cowardice. It's why they find their identity in how much they drink or how beautiful the woman/women they attract are. It's why they often embrace lust and reject intimacy. It's why they don't want to admit that they need God or anyone else but themselves. Shame.
Shame is why children don't raise their hands when they know the answer. Shame is why when you scold a child, he cries. Shame is why some children are bullies. Shame is why children turn to drugs and gangs and anything else that happens in darkness. SHAME.
Shame is why a woman tries to rule a man. It's why she fights for control through deceit, manipulation, lust and any other sin she can use to be the one who says how it's done and gets someone else to do it. She doesn't want to look like she's in charge to everyone else, because that would make her look power hungry, but she finds a way to do it all the while pushing him to the forefront. SHAME
Shame is why a man lives in denial. It's why Adam insisted that it wasn't his fault he ate the fruit...that it was actually the woman that GOD gave him. It's why a man can't be wrong. It's why a man must brag on himself. It's honestly why a man needs a woman to tell him who he is, because honestly he might not really know otherwise. SHAME
My solace is this: Shame is in the sinful nature. We are born into this life with it. We cannot escape it alone, but it is the reason Jesus came to this earth and gave his life for us. He became the curse of shame for us. If you and I can embrace that truth. If we can live our lives rejecting the shame that chases us begging us to use its sinful power in every stressful moment, every life shifting decision..if we can embrace the Truth found in God's Word to make us whole rather than the covering of shame we choose? It is a life endeavor. It seems a hidden truth in a dark society. Shame is not my only choice and I fight to look you in the eye, to surrender my defenses. I yearn to silence my arguments and relinquish the control, the ability I have to turn every situation to the way I think it should be, wrong as I may be. I struggle to close my mouth when I am attacked and demeaned and hurt and betrayed. I fail because of shame. I still have breath in my body. I still have another day and this is my endeavor. I reject original sin. I deny its power because One greater has defeated it. I am no longer Eve in the garden. I am no longer the sum of my sinful flesh. I am free from the law of sin and death. My faith is no longer in SHAME.
JM 2017
But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”[g] 14 Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised[h] Holy Spirit through faith.- Galatians 3:13-14
Shame claims an identity. It belongs to each of us
Shame holds its prisoners. It rarely lets go
Shame is rarely honest. It most always lies
And when it lies….we call it pride
Pride is what we do when people get too close to our shame. It's what we do.
Bonhoeffer said that shame is evident when a man won't meet another man's gaze…or rather when he refuses to hold that gaze. He looks away. He's ashamed.
Shame is the first sin. It's the original sin. It's what made Adam and Eve hide in the garden. It's what made them cover themselves with the skin of animals. It's what kicked them out of Eden and it's what happened when they ate from the tree. It IS the knowledge of good and evil. It's knowing the difference.
Shame makes us suffer with ourselves. It makes us hurt, deceive, abuse and even kill those who get to close to seeing what we are or who we really are.
Shame is why women wear makeup. It's why we're always on a diet. It's why we wince at our reflections. It's why we put other women down. It's why we live out our dreams through our children. SHAME.
Shame is why men lose their tempers. It's why they boast in their careers and their appearance. It's why many reject bravery and embrace cowardice. It's why they find their identity in how much they drink or how beautiful the woman/women they attract are. It's why they often embrace lust and reject intimacy. It's why they don't want to admit that they need God or anyone else but themselves. Shame.
Shame is why children don't raise their hands when they know the answer. Shame is why when you scold a child, he cries. Shame is why some children are bullies. Shame is why children turn to drugs and gangs and anything else that happens in darkness. SHAME.
Shame is why a woman tries to rule a man. It's why she fights for control through deceit, manipulation, lust and any other sin she can use to be the one who says how it's done and gets someone else to do it. She doesn't want to look like she's in charge to everyone else, because that would make her look power hungry, but she finds a way to do it all the while pushing him to the forefront. SHAME
Shame is why a man lives in denial. It's why Adam insisted that it wasn't his fault he ate the fruit...that it was actually the woman that GOD gave him. It's why a man can't be wrong. It's why a man must brag on himself. It's honestly why a man needs a woman to tell him who he is, because honestly he might not really know otherwise. SHAME
My solace is this: Shame is in the sinful nature. We are born into this life with it. We cannot escape it alone, but it is the reason Jesus came to this earth and gave his life for us. He became the curse of shame for us. If you and I can embrace that truth. If we can live our lives rejecting the shame that chases us begging us to use its sinful power in every stressful moment, every life shifting decision..if we can embrace the Truth found in God's Word to make us whole rather than the covering of shame we choose? It is a life endeavor. It seems a hidden truth in a dark society. Shame is not my only choice and I fight to look you in the eye, to surrender my defenses. I yearn to silence my arguments and relinquish the control, the ability I have to turn every situation to the way I think it should be, wrong as I may be. I struggle to close my mouth when I am attacked and demeaned and hurt and betrayed. I fail because of shame. I still have breath in my body. I still have another day and this is my endeavor. I reject original sin. I deny its power because One greater has defeated it. I am no longer Eve in the garden. I am no longer the sum of my sinful flesh. I am free from the law of sin and death. My faith is no longer in SHAME.
JM 2017
But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”[g] 14 Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised[h] Holy Spirit through faith.- Galatians 3:13-14
6 Then he said to the woman,
“I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy,
and in pain you will give birth.
And you will desire to control your husband,
but he will rule over you.[c]”
and in pain you will give birth.
And you will desire to control your husband,
but he will rule over you.[c]”
17 And to the man he said,
“Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree
whose fruit I commanded you not to eat,
the ground is cursed because of you.
All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.
18 It will grow thorns and thistles for you,
though you will eat of its grains.
19 By the sweat of your brow
will you have food to eat
until you return to the ground
from which you were made.
For you were made from dust,
and to dust you will return.” - Genesis 3
whose fruit I commanded you not to eat,
the ground is cursed because of you.
All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.
18 It will grow thorns and thistles for you,
though you will eat of its grains.
19 By the sweat of your brow
will you have food to eat
until you return to the ground
from which you were made.
For you were made from dust,
and to dust you will return.” - Genesis 3
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