A pause from 'A Second Cup of Coffee'
I am taking a break from A Second Cup of Coffee to share today with you. This morning, one of our church elders shared a communion devotion that he called 'The Gospel and Shame'. It really resonated with me. Those of us that are at least churched have heard that Jesus died for our sins. Many in our society are at least vaguely familiar with John 3:16: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. This dear man of God began to talk about guilt and shame. He defined how guilt is feeling bad about what we do. Shame is feeling bad about who I am. He had my rapt attention.The elder went on to explain that legitimate shame occurs over sins we have committed and having a sin nature. However, illegitimate shame is caused by sins that have been committed against(emphasis mine) us.
This afternoon I began to think about how I grew up knowing about God and all of the Bible stories from Sunday School. Then realizing that God is real and His Word is true. By high school, I wanted to live only for Jesus. At the same time, a series of bad things happened to me from elementary school on through college. Though some things were because of my own lack of wisdom, way too much was at the hands of others. By the time I graduated from high school, I was convinced that while Jesus died for the world, God had forgotten about me, and my pain didn't matter. I was further convinced that I was a kind of after-thought in the mind of God and my family, real friends nonexistent. I was forgotten by all, even God. So I lived this shame-based existence where everyone was smarter, and better than me. Even the perpetrators of my pain were in higher esteem and without consequences. My heart and I just didn't matter.
Over recent years, God has been carefully and slowly pealing back those lies and working to make me understand and know that I do matter. My heart matters. My pain matters. My needs matter. He has not dressed me in shame. The elder this morning brought us Hebrews 10:8-10, 1John 1:7,9, and Hebrews 12:2. But this afternoon, Jesus gave me 1Peter 2:4 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
The Gospel has removed my shame. I am accepted.
This afternoon I began to think about how I grew up knowing about God and all of the Bible stories from Sunday School. Then realizing that God is real and His Word is true. By high school, I wanted to live only for Jesus. At the same time, a series of bad things happened to me from elementary school on through college. Though some things were because of my own lack of wisdom, way too much was at the hands of others. By the time I graduated from high school, I was convinced that while Jesus died for the world, God had forgotten about me, and my pain didn't matter. I was further convinced that I was a kind of after-thought in the mind of God and my family, real friends nonexistent. I was forgotten by all, even God. So I lived this shame-based existence where everyone was smarter, and better than me. Even the perpetrators of my pain were in higher esteem and without consequences. My heart and I just didn't matter.
Over recent years, God has been carefully and slowly pealing back those lies and working to make me understand and know that I do matter. My heart matters. My pain matters. My needs matter. He has not dressed me in shame. The elder this morning brought us Hebrews 10:8-10, 1John 1:7,9, and Hebrews 12:2. But this afternoon, Jesus gave me 1Peter 2:4 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
The Gospel has removed my shame. I am accepted.
posted by Janet | 3:56 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home