Isaiah 61:7 NLT
'Instead of shame and dishonour, you will enjoy a double share of honour. You will possess a double portion of prosperity in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.'
Daytime TV is filled with shows about restoring old houses or precious artefacts such as Homes Under the Hammer and Your Home Made Perfect. People have great enthusiasm to return something to its original state; this is also what God has upon his heart for each one of us. While we wrestle with sinful thoughts, some of which give rise to sinful acts, ultimately the call of the disciple is to return to that state of goodness and oneness with God that was his original creative intention for us all.
The most difficult consequence arising from sin is the shame it induces. Each of us knows the shame and the fear we have of our failings being exposed to public view. Shame differs from guilt in that it tells me that there is something rotten in the core of who I am. Unlike guilt, which I can address through confession and apology, shame is like a ball and chain I must drag with me throughout my life. The feeling of shame can best be described as: “I am flawed, inadequate, wrong, bad, unimportant, undeserving or not good enough.”
Shame tells us that the behaviour of others is somehow related to who we are and what we do. We create unspoken narratives within our head, which can become the script for our life and behaviour. This can result in relationship breakdown when the fear of exposure and facing the acute feelings of losing face, silences us.
However, God accepts us for who we are. Those experiences from our past that have led to our shame can be acknowledged before God. God wants to put each one of us in touch with our true emotions as one part of the lifetime process of godly restoration; the rotten is removed and replaced. I am set free.
QUESTION: How do you experience shame? Do you react towards others in an attempt to manage your feelings of shame?
PRAYER: Thank you for your commitment to my redemption and restoration. I name and bring my shame to you and ask for your forgiveness, healing and restoration.

Released on 9 Mar 2020