Day 30 - FOUNDATION STONES IN A YEAR
Reading: Psalm 3:3
The unsanctified way of dealing with shame is to sew fig leaves to cover themselves. They either sew fig leaves of invisibility, of not wanting to be exposed as lesser people. Or they sew leaves of bright, brash indifference, leaves that defy you to notice their shame. But no matter their choice of leaves, shame remains as an unwelcome burden they carry every day.
Shame is a horrible spiritual force that causes a person to be embarrassed of who they are. Have you ever felt this negative power? Did you know that Jesus paid for your shame as a part of His redemptive work on the Cross?
If you walked free of shame and embarrassment and never returned to it, how would that freedom affect your life? What would life be like if you never had to deal with those negative emotions?
Jesus offers us the cloak of forgiveness in place of an ineffective fig leaf. Not a cloak that covers our shame, but a cloak that removes our shame and then immediately clothes us in the extravagant beauty of God. Just as sinning is a choice so accepting the cloak of righteousness is a choice. No more shame. We lift our chins and look the world in the eyes. We are forgiven.
We can accept in our heads that we are righteous but in our hearts we may carry the burden of shame. We don’t have to do so. Rather do this:
I confess that never again will I allow myself to wallow in self-pity because of the pain I feel, the loss I’ve endured, or the abuse I’ve experienced. Jesus knows exactly how it feels to be humiliated and shamefully treated in the most degrading ways. Because Jesus is personally acquainted with such pain and such mental and emotional anguish, He is able to fully sympathize with all my feelings. Therefore, with confidence I come boldly before His throne of grace to receive His help in just the way I need it most! I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!
Prayer
Holy Spirit, teach me how to walk in the reality of the freedom that I have from shame, because of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
For the family
Continue to discuss these studies in an age-appropriate way