The Poverty of Shame

Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces. Psalm 34:4-5 (NLT)

The gospels tell the story of a woman who had suffered from constant bleeding for twelve years. Imagine the shame she must have felt. Imagine her awkwardness at social gatherings, the market and religious festivals. She feared being exposed. She feared what others would say. So she hid, avoiding the places that formed the heartbeat of Jewish society. She felt like a pariah, alone and isolated, until she heard of Jesus and His power to heal and set free.

We may not feel this same kind of shame, but we will all experience shame in some way as we journey through this life. Shame imposes itself like an unwelcome guest in our lives. Shame will enter when our souls are battered and bruised by emotional, physical or verbal abuse inflicted upon us by others. By the unwise decisions we ourselves make that lead us down the wrong path. Or by poverty, failure, divorce or loss. Shame will come knocking when we allow the adverse circumstances or the anti-social behaviour of those close to us to influence us.

Spiritual & Emotional Poverty

Shame makes us feel naked, exposed, and dirty. We feel as if everyone can see the dirt that clings to us. It overshadows our lives. It strips us of our dignity, self-worth, our joy and peace. It strips us of our trust in our Redeemer. Shame causes us to live a life of emotional and spiritual poverty that keeps us captive to our brokenness. It deprives us of the rich life that Jesus came to proclaim. The rich life that comes when we are set free from the poverty and nakedness of our shame.

When Jesus died on the cross, He restored our brokenness and washed the dirt of our shame clean with His blood. He clothed us with the garments of salvation and the robe of righteousness. He took our shame upon Himself, redeeming us from our emotional and spiritual poverty. Isaiah says this is cause for great joy.

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness.  Isaiah 61:10 (ESV)

We can try to clothe ourselves with the things of this world to get rid of our shame, but only Jesus can cover the nakedness of our shame. Only Jesus can take away our emotional and spiritual poverty and clothe us with the richness of His extravagant grace and love.

Christ is the Redeemer. He redeems humanity, and in His infinite power, He has redeemed shame itself.  Charles Spurgeon

Reflection:

Think about the emotional and spiritual deprivation your shame has been causing. Why not give your shame to Jesus so that He can clothe you with His garment of salvation and His robe of righteousness?

Prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for bearing my shame when You went to the cross to die a shameful death. Lord, You see the emotional and spiritual depravity that my shame has caused. Set me free from this. Clothe me, Lord, with Your salvation and righteousness so that I may receive Your rich and full life. In Jesus’ name, amen.