Shame, the enemy of hope
Although powerful, convincing, and capable, shame is no victor over the mending power of Christ.
The debilitating burden of shame can creep into the veins of even the most successful and happy people, eroding passion, progression, and peace, leaving once bright individuals feeling alone and darker than the bottom of the pit they believe themselves to be in.
Shame is a powerful parasite.
Thoughts like, “I’m bad because I…” or, “Because I…, I am now a terrible person,” rule the mind. Fairness, objectivity, and context are dismissed, as irrational and biased judgments tell its victim that their worth has properly dropped, and can never be recovered.
The shamed person views themselves a bit like an autographed baseball card that has lost its value after being bent, ripped, creased, or harmed. With this type of memorabilia, no matter the will or effort of the owner, the card’s original form cannot be remade. All damages are permanent, and there is no hope for reclamation.
So are people like pieces of signed paper and plastic, forever subject to wounds and beyond rehabilitation?
No. But shame says ‘yes.’
The persistent pest teaches a person that they are a bit like common cloth. For example, if a pair of shorts or pants split, the frayed fabric can be sewn back together, yes, but the evidence of a prior injury will be eternally present. No level of handiwork can tie torn threads together exactly like they once were. The clothing will be wearable, but a reminder of previous precarious activity will always remain.
But the human soul is not cloth-like, but more like water. When a rock is tossed into a stream, the surface breaks, splashes, and the stone falls through. The water instinctively ripples in response, showing where the rock entered, but the reactive echoing waves soon disappear, and the water is once again whole, just like before. The stream continues moving forward, unbothered by the disruption. It flows resolute, unstopped and unscathed.
So are we, like water, able to handle life’s rocks and stones without losing speed or direction. Shame seeks to upend human reality, endlessly punishing its host for any mistake or misstep, while, thanks to Heaven, peace can come from knowing we are not damned due to our most unfaithful hour, but that redemption is both plausible and possible, and that progress isn’t halted just because a stone has been tossed onto our path.
Shame is not of God or of Jesus.
Our Older Brother and Friend, Jesus Christ, suffered for every sin committed by every person — that includes you. There is no shame found within the true doctrine of our Savior. There is only light, love, forgiveness, and healing, for it is He who offers His hand to help us escape from lonely nights in lonely pits. It is He who says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,” and, “Be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole.” It is He who died, that we may live again, bruiseless, painless, and without blemish: today, tomorrow, and forever.
