Letting go of Shame: God's Grace is Greater
By: Mission Team
Why is it so challenging to let go? Why are people so hard on themselves? Why does it seem so hard to forgive myself? Shame is that feeling of not being able to detach from the negative actions of the past self. It’s easy to live in shame because of what we’ve done.
Shame wants to hold on; it coincides with our conscience and emotions. We know what we have done. We know the faults and sins that we have committed. But it’s in the past, why can’t I just forget about it? Maybe we weren’t made to forget it but to find a greater purpose with the memory of it. Maybe we’re hard on ourselves because of past mistakes or choices. Shame seems logical; it just feels right.
Shame is not truth. Truth is giving it to God and accepting the mercy that He longs to give us. Truth is choosing to let go of shame. This is why we need to lean on grace. God offers graces to us to live in His mercy and to overcome the lies. If we decide to continue living in shame, we will never be free, we will be living in the slavery that evil desires of us.
Personally, it’s hard for me to let go of the shame. You are not the only one. It’s almost an addiction to hold on to the past. I don’t want to let go because it seems to be one of the only things I can define myself by.
Finding our identity in fault is so dangerous, yet so intriguing. We get trapped and start realizing how much we dislike ourselves because we keep running back to sin and the memory of it. Soon enough, it bubbles into self-hatred. You feel a loss of hope because you believe you are in too deep to change.
But God extends grace to us so that we don’t have to be ashamed of ourselves anymore. He sees the pain, guilt, despair, and shame and showers us with mercy. Only until we accept this grace can we truly be free.
This freedom is not a feeling, but rather a reality in Christ. The feeling of shame may persist, but once we start acknowledging and choosing to live in freedom through grace, our attitude toward life may be seen through a different lens. It becomes more clear to see the saving grace of God.
Maybe that’s why He doesn’t allow the memory of it to disappear from our conscience. He wants us to have the knowledge and human guilt of what sin is, but He wants us to know that He is the only source of true freedom that we long for deep within our hearts.
By giving Christ my shame, I see how much more I understand and hear Him whispering to me. Grace allows more clarity and hope to enter our lives because it allows us to see a purpose for ourselves and the shame that we experience. It’s a human feeling, but has the ability to impact spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. It seems like an enormous obstacle to overcome, but God offers grace that will bear fruit. We have to trust.
“Behold I am laying a stone in Zion that will make people stumble and a rock that will make them fall, and whoever believes in him shall not be put to shame.” (Romans 9:33).
He sees the mistakes but picks us up again. He sees us for who we truly are: His beloved children.
