Shame

Shame is something that we are not designed to carry. It is emotional baggage that ties us to a hurtful past. Shame keeps us from achieving our full potential. If we are troubled by our past, we become afraid of how to handle our future. As beings created in the image of God, we are not meant to harbor such feelings. When I hear people tell their story of how they came to know Christ, I often hear people say they thought God could never forgive them for what they had done in their past. It is interesting to see how we are convinced that we are too far gone in our sin to be changed by God. Jesus forgave those who had just beat him and hung him on a cross to die. If there is anyone who did not deserve forgiveness, it was those men. Paul, one of the greatest missionaries to serve, was a persecutor of Christians before his conversion. Paul wrote many books of the new testament. God has the power and the desire to change the hearts of those that believe in Him. Through a relationship with Christ, there is freedom from condemnation and sin. Romans 5:1-2 “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.” This verse says we are justified. Dr. Ike Reighard explained it saying,”Being justified means it is just-if-I’d never sinned.” Our faith and belief in Jesus give us access to His grace that frees us from our shame from the past and our guilt in the future. Guilt is feeling bad for what you’ve done. Shame is feeling bad for who you are or who you were. Sin is an action, emotions are feelings, but shame is a burden. Do not let shame keep you from flourishing in your relationship with Christ. Live your life conscious of your past, but no longer convicted by what God has already forgiven. Give up shame today!