What or who embarrasses you? For me, it’s our family dog. Her name’s Pepper. She’s about 3 pounds, pure black and is a cross between a Terrier and Poodle. She’s known as a “Yorkiepoo” - which is hard for me to say with a straight face. I’m just glad she’s not a cross between a poodle and a Shitsu because that would make her a…..never mind.
Anyway, Pepper is very small, so small that my wife sometimes carries her in her handbag. She has her own little house, toys, clothes and will often refuse to eat her food unless she is spoon fed.
She’s not a man’s dog!
I realized this the day I took Pepper for a walk at a local park. The words yelled at me from across the field still make me cringe in embarrassment. “HEY! Why don’t you pick up your purse?”
I don’t walk the dog anymore.
We all have embarrassing moments, but they usually wear off and become stories that we laugh about later. However, dig down a few layers and you'll often find something that can do a lot more damage. It’s called shame. Unlike embarrassment, shame can be lethal. People never tell funny little stories about their shame. Why? Because shame destroys your confidence. It can crush your spirit and paralyze your relationships. It attaches itself to who you are. Shame defines people.
At the beginning of the Bible we read about God creating this amazing garden for the first man and woman. We’re told that they were naked yet they felt no shame. That is until the devil came along, convinced them to eat the forbidden fruit and then whispered in their ear, “hey – you might want to put something on!”
They look, they blush, they cover up, and then they run and hide. That’s what shame does. It causes us to run, hide and separate ourselves.
Far too many people know the manipulating power of shame and how destructive it can be. It’s harnessed by parents in order to control their kids. It’s used by some churches as the primary technique to motivate people's behavior. It takes hold in people’s lives because of a bad decision that they or someone else made. Shame is a driving force in many people’s lives.
Yet, God never intended that you live your life with shame. The Bible tells us that there is something way more powerful than the control shame can have on us. Here’s what it says, “No power in the sky above or the earth below – indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus…” (Romans 8:39).
Did you catch it? Don’t miss it, because this truth places you on the verge of a miracle. Whatever is in your life that holds you captive to shame doesn’t compete with the love of God. No matter what you’ve done or had done to you, the “shame on you” that your holding can easily be replaced with the love that God offers. It is a love that brings freedom and fresh starts. It’s a love that connects instead of separates. It’s a love that lets you hold your head high in spite of your past.
So, what’ll it be? A life defined by shame and separation or a life defined by God’s love. I pray you’ll make the obvious choice.
