In this episode of Pursuing Faith, Dominic explores John 8, and the words Jesus spoke to a woman who was full of shame. He said to her, “neither do I condemn you, go your way and sin no more."
When we are in a place of shame, the natural response is to hide our truest self or to push people away. For example, in the book of Genesis, Adam and Eve ate of a tree and realized they were ‘naked and ashamed’ and immediately hid from God. Shame always causes isolation, because intimacy is the risk that our shame will be exposed. In the words of Bene Brown, “Shame corrodes the very part of us that believes we are capable of change.”
But here’s the good news: because of grace, we don’t have to live in shame anymore.
In a world that continuously lies about our identity, that loves to remind us of all that we’re not — not rich enough, smart enough, good-looking enough, or famous enough—God says: You are mine. And you always have been. Nothing can change that. You are not defined by the mistakes you’ve made but by the grace of God.
Links:
www.pursuingfaith.org