Instead of shame, my people will receive a double portion; and instead of disgrace, they will rejoice in their inheritance.  Isaiah 61:7

     I was reading a Christian novel the other day about someone going through a difficult time. One character says to the other:

     “I’ve never felt shame like this. I was raised to think that you don’t_________________ (fill in what you would say that has brought you to a shameful place “get divorced,” “have an affair” “fail at anything” “ask for help”, “have a breakdown”,etc). “How do you get rid of the shame?”

     The other character answers: “Oh, Sugar, shame is a cruel companion. Don’t even try to take a trip with it ‘cause it’ll snuff the life right out of you.”

      To walk around in shame is basically to say that God’s grace is not enough for you—maybe for everybody else, but not you. That’s a lie.

     And shame carries another lie, too—that we’re worthy of something in the first place. That we can act a certain way and that will make us good enough or right enough. So we have shame because we’re disappointed in ourselves.  But the thing is, you can’t ever be good enough or right enough. None of us can. That’s why we need Jesus so much.”

     Satan wants to keep us in bondage. If he can’t keep us from being God’s children, he will do everything he can to keep us stuck and ineffective. When we do something wrong, that is something we did; it is not who we are. It is a piece of our story, but it’s not where the story ends. Like the character in the story says, “This hard place is refining you, not defining you.”

     Whatever it is that got you to this broken place, ask God to deal with it, and He will. No matter how many sides there are to your story, God is working on every side! He is faithful; He began a good work in you and He will complete it (Philippians 1:6).

*Name the shame in your life. You can’t fix yourself. Ask God to deal with it, and He will.

Lord Jesus, I commit to You that I will continue to seek my identity and sense of worth in You. No one else can fight this battle for me. They can help and they can pray, but only I can choose the truth. I thank You for the life that I now have in Christ, and I ask You to fill me with Your Holy Spirit that I may live in dependence upon You and take my stand against Satan and all his lying ways. In Jesus’ matchless name I pray, Amen.

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