April 15

Shaming Shame

I wet the bed until I was 12 years old. It’s hard to put into words the agony of those moments when I would wake up in the middle of the night and find my clothes and sheets were soaked. Ashamed, I would scurry about, trying to quietly change the sheets and my clothes—doing my best to hide the evidence. But it was found out each time, and I felt a deep sense of worthlessness, failure, and disapproval.

I tried using a lot of soap, water, and lotion to hide my struggle. Over and over, I prayed that God would give me a dry night. But many mornings I awakened with my prayers unanswered. I had a shameful secret, and I was afraid that it would be exposed for all to see.

Long before I fought to hide my shame, Adam and Eve did their best to hide theirs. From the beginning, shame wasn’t a natural emotion for human beings to experience: “The man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame” (Genesis 2:25). Adam and Eve enjoyed the beauty of a shameless state. But after they disobeyed God’s command, they experienced for the first time a bitter new emotion— shame. Unlike my battle, theirs was the result of disobeying a loving, holy God. Their sin caused them to exhibit shame- based behaviors: creating coverings, hiding, fearing, deflecting responsibility, and blaming one another (3:7-12).

God was the only one who could cover their shame (v.21). And He alone can cover ours (Revelation 3:16-18). When Jesus died on the cross and forgave our sins, in essence He shamed shame (Hebrews 12:1-2). We aren’t obligated to put it on ever again. Because of what Christ has done, we can exchange “beauty for ashes” and “praise instead of despair”! (Isaiah 61:3). —Marvin Williams

READ:

Genesis 3:7-12
  At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves (v.7).

MORE:

Read Psalm 51:10 and consider what David did with his shame.

NEXT:

In what area of your life has shame kept you in bondage? What part of your past do you need to surrender to Jesus, the only One who can free you from your shame? 

JJ Weeks Band - Alive In Me from universalmusicgroup on GodTube.