Shame is not your friend.
Guilt says, “You’ve done something bad.” Shame says, “You are bad.” If anyone could have lived in shame, it was the Apostle Paul, who had persecuted Christians prior to his own conversion. But Paul learned to run from shame.
In his great theological treatise, Paul asked, “Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies” (Romans 8:33).
Shame is a powerful emotion that can shape a person’s life in devastating ways. An article in Journal of Psychology identifies five ways people living in shame fall short:
- They avoid community.
- They suppress their emotions.
- They feel worthlessness and anxious.
- They avoid healthy risks.
- Relapse is much more frequent.
Shame is not a condition as much as it is a choice. You can choose to live in shame or you can choose to live in grace. I suggest the latter.
Recovery Step: Embrace grace.