Shame.
I have felt shame for so many things that I have done in my 23 years. Things I said to other people, things I said to myself, sins I fell into and so much more.
However, shame is not something that the Lord ever inteneded for us to feel or experience.
Guilt or conviction for doing something wrong however are ok. Conviction brings forth the desire and need to change. Shame however only brings self condemnation. Never will the Lord condemn us for anything wrong that we do. The core of the Father’s heart is simply love and it pains him to see us bring shame or condemnation onto ourselves. I don’t know about you but ultimately my desire is to reflect the heart of the Father. I’ll never do it perfectly and that’s ok but it is something I strive for.
Back to shame and guilt. Let’s talk about the difference in these two words.
Guilt says “I’ve done something bad.”
Shame says “I am something bad”
And THAT is a lie from the enemy. He is so sneaky that he uses things that seem so similar to speak lies into our hearts.
Genesis 1 says that God created man in HIS image, and God is GOOD! So how could we be bad if he created us with the intention that we would look like him?
YOU are GOOD.
Of course we do bad things but that doesn’t mean that we are bad.
(Side Note: Have you ever heard someone say “Bad girl” to a dog, a kid, a cat…or just anything? I’ve definitely heard all of the above and especially to children. Why are we speaking lies over our children? That child isn’t bad. They have just done something bad. When we speak these things, we speak them into existence, we shape the identity of other precious humans. God created the world just by speaking, and we think our words don’t have power?)
In the garden of eden Adam and Eve sinned, they did the one thing that God asked them not to.
What was their immediate response? The clothed themselves and hid. They assumed shame. They placed shame onto themselves before the Lord even spoke to them. Then we see God come onto the scene, he doesn’t yell at them, he doesn’t address the sin right away. He says “Who told you that you were naked?”
Who told you that you weren’t enough?
Who placed shame on you?
Because I didn’t.
“Who told you that you were naked Adam? Who placed shame on you? Because I didn’t”
Adam and Eve placed shame on themselves. They assumed shame, even before the Lord had said anything to them.
How often do we do this? How often do we place shame on ourselves?
The Lord is speaking to you right now.
“My child, who told you that you weren’t pretty?”
“Who told you that you weren’t enough?
“Who told you that I didn’t love you?
I want to challenge you from this point forward to recognize shame when you start to feel it and ask yourself that question “Kierstin, who told you that you were naked?’
Are you placing shame onto yourself? Is the enemy lying to you and trying to shape your identity?
At the end of the creation story it says “And God saw everything that He had made and it was VERY good.”
Everything. Including you and me. It doesn’t say “I saw everything except for sinful humans…”
No.
They were very good.
He is good, He is perfect.
We were made in his likeness, so no, we are not perfect but we are good.
I will not allow the enemy to speak lies over me, to try to waiver my identity and who I know I am in Jesus. I am HIS. I am good.
Thanking the Lord for these truths that I can cling to even when I don’t always believe them about myself. Because I know that He believes them about me.
