Do you feel weighed down by shame? Often, we feel like we have to hide our shame from others or that our shame disqualifies us from being able to be used by God.
However, Curt Thompson says that our shame doesn’t disqualify us. In fact, God wants to meet us in our shame and walk through it with us.
“Over time, God says to every new generation, I’m coming to find you. I’m going to come to find you through the broken people that I’ve already inhabited, because it is in this brokenness that I want to demonstrate to you that I’m not afraid of your shame, I’m not afraid of your brokenness.”
Think you’re too broken for God to use you? Curt reminds us that God is more than capable of fulfilling His plan and purpose for our lives in the midst of our brokenness.
“What God in His right mind would leave the ongoing mission of the church to a bunch of broken human beings?”
God is with us. He wants to help us fight the grip of shame in our lives. This means that He will help us confront our shame and not run from it. Curt says that one example we can see of this in Scripture is when Jesus confronts the shame Peter was feeling after he denied Jesus three times.
“It could have been easy for Jesus to have taken Peter away for a private little consultation and say, hey, that thing that happened six weeks ago when you threw me under the bus, we’re good, no worries, but He doesn’t do that.”
Peter felt ashamed for denying Christ, but Jesus confronts Peter’s shame head on.
“Jesus knows that Peter still has unfinished business, and He is not going to let that stone be unturned. He comes to find that shame, lifting that stone, and pointing to Peter says, even in the middle of this, I want you to look at me, see me seeing you, because I have work for us to do. I want you to feed my sheep. I want you to pay more attention to me and the work time I have for you than you pay attention to your shame.”
Curt Thompson is a psychiatrist in private practice in Falls Church, Virginia. He is also the founder of the Center for Being Known, a nonprofit organization that develops resources to educate and train leaders within the fields of mental health, education, business and the the church about the intersection between interpersonal neurobiology and Christian spiritual formation.
Featured Songs: The River – Jordan Feliz; Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) – Chris Tomlin; Impossible Things – Chris Tomlin
Soul of shame
