Jesus’ Ministry
January 30, 2019
Scripture Reading: Psalm 71:1-6
In you, O Lord, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
incline your ear to me and save me.
Be to me a rock of refuge,
a strong fortress, to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress. –Psalm 71:1-3
Shame: a painful emotion caused by consciousness of guilt, shortcoming, or impropriety in one’s own behavior or position or in the behavior or position of a closely associated person or group*
Shame is a painful emotional response triggered by either actual guilt at wrongdoing or our accepting the judgment of others regarding our worth. I am not sure we can control the immediate reaction of shame, but we need to learn to let it go as it can become a debilitating reality in our lives that prevent us from reaching our fullest potential.
Rather than investing our energies in shame, when we have wronged another or not met our responsibilities, we need to own our behavior and target our energies toward repair and restoration of the situation.
There is another aspect of shame though that may be more damaging, and I think it may be what the Psalmist is suggesting in our scripture above. We each need to understand that we are all children of God and there is nothing anyone else can do to change that status. We have a serious problem of bullying in our society today. College students are dying trying to live up to the warped standards of some of their peers. We fail to care properly for those who suffer with mental illness. We define as outcasts people who do not follow our definition of normal. We assign unreasonable definitions to beauty.
In the words of Henri J. M. Nouwen we are all the beloved of God and we need to live into that reality with intentionality.
Prayer: Lord, forgive me when I have wronged others and help me repair those situations. Empower me to treat all people as God’s beloved. Amen.
*http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/shame