"Yet a time is coming
and has now come when the true worshipers will worship
the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the
kind of worshipers the Father seeks." - John 4:23

My Heavenly Daddy is healing
me from the inside out.

Transparency is Real.
Many times painful.

Daddy let me be secure in You only!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

DON'T HIDE YOUR SHAME


Don't hide my shame? Wow!

As the devotional shares below,
"But if we hide our shame, it can never be healed. Our shame heals when we reveal our inner being to people who accept us rather than shame us."

We want to hide our shame. I know I did and still do at times. Discovery of wearing different masks to survive my shameful past was one way of how I dealt with my shame. I pretended nothing was wrong. I pretended to be someone that I was not, because I did NOT like myself. Still working on this one.

There is freedom in the words from God that says,"you don't need to be afraid, you will not suffer shame." I am holding onto these promises. As hard as it is sometimes to.

God will never shame nor condemn me. I will always be accepted in His eyes and that it is His desire to heal the core of my hurting pain that one day will release the hold of the joy that remains locked up deep inside me.

These promises can be for you as well!!


"Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated." Isaiah 54:4

Experiences of shame lead to fear. When shame causes us to be afraid we make extra efforts to protect ourselves against future experiences of shame. We try hard, for example, to look good. We focus on controlling external appearances. We also try hard to anesthetize our feelings because of our fear of shame. We focus on controlling our feelings so that other people won't get to know us. If they did they might discover the shame we are trying to hide. In this way shame traps us in a cycle of fear and emotional numbing and covering up.

But if we hide our shame, it can never be healed. Our shame heals when we reveal our inner being to people who accept us rather than shame us. This is not an easy process for us because we expect to be shamed. We do not expect to be accepted.

What a remarkably grace-full experience it is when God says "you don't need to be afraid, you will not suffer shame." We can open our hearts to God and find acceptance rather than shaming. God sees our fear. God knows that we want to run and hide. But it is God's desire to heal our deep wound of shame. "You don't have to be afraid," God says to us, "you will not suffer shame or disgrace or humiliation with me."

I have experienced so much shame, Lord.
So much disgrace.
So much humiliation.
Sometimes I want to hide myself from life.
And sometimes I want to numb myself to life.
Sometimes I want to disappear completely.

Thank you for your promise.
It calms my fears and helps me to stop hiding.
It helps me to stop covering up.
Thank you that I can open my heart to you and not suffer shame.
Thank you for the people in my life who accept me and do not shame me.
Protect me, Lord, from shame.
Amen.

Copyright Dale and Juanita Ryan

13 comments:

  1. nice. anything i need to hide...can not be a good thing for me...or anyone...

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  2. Thanks for the excellent post, JBR!

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  3. I am hiding from these lightning as the rain is pouring down as I type! I even closed the blind a little more...But I forget, there is One Who sees all those hidden things...And He is also the same One Whose promises of protection, healing and recovery are not broken! What a shame! To hide...And as I opened the blinds a little more, feeling a bit courageous because of your post, what beautiful big drops are coming down to satiate the thirsty plants and earth....Let His mercy and grace rain down on us and give us the courage to not hide anymore...Blessings to you JBR!!!

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  4. Bless you for sharing such a wonderful post.

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  5. "If we hide our shame, it can never be healed".....how true that statement is, my friend!

    Keeping you always in my prayers!

    Blessings~
    Laura

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  6. I agree with this, don't hide your shame! No one should, easier said than done
    kim

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  7. We can truly say we have no shame in Jesus.

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  8. I'm praying for you, my girl. You're good. :)

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  9. Special delivery!!!
    From heaven!!!
    Like a box of warm Krispie Kreme
    donuts (good for you, if there were
    such a thing)
    delivered to my door
    by an angel
    with a smile:)
    Oh thank you thank you for this.
    -Jennifer

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  10. Beautiful 'real' post here!! We can all learn from this one for sure!! Again, you are Amazing, girl!! Amazing!! :-)

    Big Hug & Many Blessings!!
    Coreen

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  11. It's true... one of the things shame does is make you want to hide. Not with God... who sees it all and causes us to hold our heads up high!! Walk on JBR... it's gonna be good!

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  12. shame is that festering wound that will not heal... very true!

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  13. long time no post. the words that stood out in my mind were, "if we hide our shame, we can not be healed." loved this my friend. have missed you. xoxo Janie

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