Are You Carrying Shame?

Until puberty, you would have called me a "pudgy" kid.  I was constantly being harassed by other children as the fat boy with the fat daddy. Yes, my dad was overweight.  Yes, I wore husky-sized pants.  The shame I felt increased greatly when a military family moved in down the street.  The sergeant dad often made it clear that I didn't measure up to his athletic and lean boys.  Though I didn't know what to call my feelings then, I now know I was feeling shame.  Shame causes us to feel like a lesser person, painfully diminished in our own eyes and in the eyes of others.

No one wants to talk about shame in their lives.  We respond to it by withdrawing from life, covering it, or putting a mask on it .  This pretending just increases our shame because we are ashamed of our shame.

This week I will begin a six-part series on shame.  This study will be part of a larger series I want to develop in the coming year dealing with Christians living with unrighteousness in their lives.  Based on 1 John 1:9, these series elements will deal with the sin of others placed in our lives and how God wants to cleanse us from their debilitating power.

God not only wants to forgive us of our sin, but he wants to free us from all unrighteousness placed in our lives by other people's  sin.  I know you will not want to miss this time that can truly set your life free from past pain and suffering.

See you Sunday,
Pastor Jeff