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Shame is an emotion or a feeling that is not easy to deal with as Christian ladies.   We are taught that shame is a bad, bad thing, so if we have shame, we must be bad, bad women.

Over the years, as I have listened to the stories of many ladies who have experienced the pain of divorce or past abuse. I have heard shame in their voices, seen shame in their actions and upon reflection, see shame in much of how I lived my life for many years.

What is shame???   Webster’s Dictionary defines it as: 1. a painful feeling of guilt for improper behavior, 2. dishonor or disgrace, 3. something regrettable or outrageous.  

Strong’s has many definitions, some which are: dishonor, something vile, disgrace, that which is unseemly, one’s nakedness, reproach, and one I thought very interesting, confusion.   Which just happens to be one of Satan’s favorite tools in his box of weapons to try to defeat Christians.

When I do a word study like this, sometimes something just jumps out at me.   While looking up shame, an interesting fact did seem prevalent.

The word shame is used in the Old Testament 378 times.   And it is used almost exclusively in the terms of shame as in shameful behavior (Israelites behavior while Moses was on the Mount, (Ex. 32:35).

The word shame is only used 39 times in the New Testament.   Well, one of the root words is used 724 times, however it’s meaning is "unto, to, with, against, to the advantage of", which is NOT talking about shame, per se.

I would like to humbly submit that perhaps the reason the word shame is only used in the New Testament 39 times, is because with the advent of the New Testament, we have Jesus, WHO BORE ALL OUR SHAME ON THE CROSS.   Hebrews 12:2 states. "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."

If I am a born again believer, trusting only in the shed blood of Jesus to take me to heaven, I have NO RIGHT to still be carrying around shame due to anything that has occurred in my life.   Jesus has already paid for all my sins.   He suffered the shame, the agony, the terror and the pain FOR ME as he hung there on that cross.

His loving heavenly Father even had to turn his face from him, so great was the shame that Jesus bore for me.   If I continue to carry around guilt and shame, then I am in essence saying that the death Jesus suffered on the cross was not enough.   He did not suffer completely or enough to cover MY shame, so I have to suffer the rest of my life with this shame.

JESUS IS NOT ENOUGH????  

Let us return to the reason we are carrying shame.   If we look carefully again at Webster’s definition of shame, we see three meanings.   If we are carrying shame due to a divorce, or a past abuse, we are carrying false shame.   Remember the definition:   painful feeling of guilt for past behavior, dishonor, something outrageous.   If you have a painful feeling due to an action or situation YOU did not initiate or create, then you are carrying false shame.   If you are still carrying shame over some of your past behavior, then you are saying that Christ’s sufferings were not enough to cover YOUR feelings of guilt or shame.    Either way, you are carrying shame that is UNNECESSARY for you to carry, and more than likely compounding feelings of guilt.  

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