Overcoming Shame

“So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters.” – Hebrews 2:11

I can feel it slowly come over me. I’m in a room full of people and quickly become filled with fear. How did it find me here? Was it something someone said? I want to hide, but where? My face feels hot and blotchy; I struggle to take a breath. I want to escape, but I know it will soon follow me.

Shame.

It’s like a vicious and debilitating cancer. It slithers its way into our hearts, hiding in deep and dark corners. There it stays out of sight, growing and burying its roots deep. As shame flourishes, it whispers lies that blind, paralyze and suffocate.

I’ve done a lot in my life for which I am ashamed. I’ve said and done things that I deeply regret. And I’ve also been shamed by others.

Sometimes, this shame spreads its poison to my mind, convincing me that I need to hide from God. Like our first parents, I attempt to cover over the naked shame, as though He can’t see behind my defenses.

And so I run.

Overcoming Shame

The first sacrifice for sin was made in the Garden. God provided a covering for Adam and Eve to hide their nakedness. This act pointed to the complete and final sacrifice that was to come. It directed us to the One who was a perfect sacrifice, the One who wouldn’t provide a temporary covering for our shame–but a permanent one.

In fact, this sacrifice that Jesus made removes our sin and helps us to overcome shame forever. We are made perfect and can stand before the Father with no fear or shame. That’s why Jesus isn’t ashamed to call us brothers and sisters. We are loved as deeply by the Father as He loves His own Son. We are part of His family now, and there’s nothing we can ever do that would make Him ashamed of us.

I find this freeing, don’t you?

For further study:

• 1 John 3:20
• Romans 8:28-39
• Ephesians 3:16-19
• Hebrews 9:25-28
• The Soul of Shame by Curt Thompson MD (affiliate link)