“O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me.” -Psalm 25: 2
Stephen Mansfield continues Chapter 6 of Healing Your Church Hurt by noting that wounded people often live afterward with a deep sense of shame. While we tend to define shame as guilt or embarrassment over something we’ve done wrong, the author prefers the word the psalmist used for shame. David actually uses the word doomed. Stephen believes doomed comes closer to describing the impact of shame on our lives.
Following our ministry downsizing or vocation loss, an impending sense of negativity often permeates us. We may believe we deserved our mistreatment and therefore the cycle of doom is likely to repeat itself. This viewpoint we correlate with those we believe are free from doom- the beautiful people who are blessed with “continuous cycles of happiness and good fortune.” This, Stephen states, is a flaming lie. Yet we say these things to ourselves in an attempt to give meaning to the hurt we’ve experienced. Our shocked soul left us believing these untruths. We are not the Tribe of the Doomed!
Now that we see that lie for what it is, we must immediately destroy it, washing out our souls with the truths of God’s Word. Stephen concludes:
” . . . seed the opposite of doom- a destined life of blessing, of wholeness, and of meaningful service to God.”
Today’s question: To what extent has that sense of doom permeated your soul? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Demons I Have Known and Loved”
