Sometimes people who break free from a toxic or abusive relationship are tempted to reconnect with that person again and reestablish that relationship. Why? We often return to the thing or the person or the situation that has caused us pain 1) because we think it will be different this time, or 2) because we have grown comfortable with the hurt or the dysfunction. The same thing can happen with our shame. We struggle with it and want to be done with it, God sets us free from it...and then we soon discover those feelings of shame have crept back into our minds and are again impacting our self-esteem and our relationships. So how do I keep that from happening? How do I keep from returning to the feelings of shame from which I've been set free?
Many of us consistently struggle with shame – that feeling of unworthiness or inadequacy because of something we’ve done or because of someone else’s judgment and criticism. Shame can negatively impact our sense of self-worth and can damage our connections with others. But scripture teaches that Jesus came, not just take away our sin, but to take away our shame. So for the next few weeks at Flagstone we’re going to recognize the power shame can have over us, and we’re going to discover how to break free from grip of shame in our lives.
