“The devil sings you the song of shame to keep you from having a better story. To keep you hidden. . . . keep you quiet. To snuff out your potential. It’s a quiet epidemic that sickens God’s people. The refusal to forgive ourselves locks us up in the shackles of shame and then h ands the keys over to the enemy.”- Sharon Jaynes
“Now the [spies] had said to [Rahab], ‘This oath you made us swear will not be binding on us unless, when we enter the land, you hag this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down.”- Joshua 2:17-18 (NIV)
Sharon Jaynes concludes Chapter 6 of When You Don’t Like Your Story as she observes that shame looks and feels the same as it did with Adam and Eve. And shame continues to have the same effect on all humankind. As a result, our heavenly Father still asks, Where are you? Even when our actions create our shame, God pursues us.
However, when we find it impossible to forgive ourselves, Sharon asserts, it’s like saying Jesus’ death on the cross failed to suffice. That we must need to do something more. But, Sharon underscores:
“It’s one thing to take personal responsibility for our actions, which I believe we should. It is another to take personal responsibility for our redemption, which we never could.”
Finally, Sharon notes, the scarlet cord symbolized Rahab’s greatest shame. Yet, that same scarlet cord hanging from her window signaled her glorious salvation. Because God never intends for us to remain stuck in our shame. But Satan means for us to stay there forever.
In her book Rising Strong, Brene Brown exhorts:
“When we deny our stories and disengage from tough emotions, they don’t go away; instead they own us, they define us. Our job is not to deny the story, but to defy the ending — to rise strong, recognize our story, and rumble with the truth until we get to a place where we think, Yes. This is what happened. This is my truth. And I will choose how this story ends.”
Today’s question: What Bible verses help you stand strong when the devil sings you the song of shame? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Fruitful in our suffering – seed in our hands”
