The Curse of Shame

I've been thinking a lot about shame. Shame is a terrible thing yet it is so prevalent in the human race. Adam and Eve felt shame after they ate of the fruit and found themselves naked. They hid from God and covered themselves with whatever they could find.

Shame causes us to hide, to isolate, to keep secrets. Shame makes us feel unworthy of love. It makes us feel if the world only knew our secrets that it would never accept us.

There is an old recovery adage that says, "We are only as sick as the secrets we keep." That is so true.

So much shame is put on us as young children. Parents have been heard to say to their children, "Shame on you!" What a horrible curse that is.

If we are survivors of abuse, we carry mountains of shame. We are often told by our abusers that what they are doing is our fault. Nothing could be further from the truth. The dreadful things that happen to us as children are never our fault. NEVER! No matter what others have told you! You were an innocent victim of some sick human being's heinous behavior. Nothing you did brought these things about. NOTHING!

Jesus doesn't want us to be ashamed. Psalm 34:5 says, "Those who look to Him are radiant, their faces are never covered with shame."

We need to let go of our shame and let it fall away.

If this message has touched you...do this.

Get into the shower and let the water wash the shame from your life. Rinse off that ugly curse and watch it go down the drain. Let your tears wash your eyes that you no longer see yourself or your life through shame. Let the water wash your ears, your mouth, your heart that you no longer hear or speak through shame. Pray that Jesus would anoint you to see things as He does, through perfect love, through adoration, through gladness and joy.

You can be free! Free to live life as Jesus intended.

If there is a church near you that has a Cleansing Stream Ministry, I highly recommend going through the seminar and the retreat that follows. These types of things are dealt with allowing you to be free from the bondage of shame.

Watching someone you love struggle with depression is difficult. It is never easy to see a loved one in pain whether it be physical or emotional. In fact, I have come to believe that there is no pain like emotional pain. I know that losing an arm is painful. But coping with mental pain is so much harder. I'm not sure why.

Scientists tell us that depression has a genetic component. That is very obvious in my family. Fifteen people in my mother's family have committed suicide. Though many of them occurred in Germany during the war, others were more recent. My father's family also suffered from depression but chose to medicate themselves with alcohol. Most died early from liver disease, malnourishment and cancers associated with alcohol abuse. It almost seemed inevitable that my daughters and I would battle depression in our lives.

It is hard enough to deal with your own depression without worrying about your children's mental health as well. It is my hope that, because of my honesty and openness about this subject, it will be easier for my girls to recognize the signs and get help should they need it. If that is the case, then my years of struggling with depression will be of worth. It is true that God always uses our troubles to minister to others. The Bible tells us that "we are to comfort others with the comfort that we have been given." That is exactly what I want to do.