“You’re worthless.” “You’re not enough.” “You’re not lovable.” “Shame on you.” “You’re weak.”
The voice that became all too familiar. I think I vaguely remember its breath was foul as it neared me and whispered to me. When did these whispers seem to become sweet in sound and smell? Maybe it was when it seemed like every time I tried to get back up from one of life’s epic ‘beat downs’; I seemed to get the wind knocked out of me again by someone I trusted….or even by my own repeated failures as I was coming back up. “You’re not lovable.” “Shame on you.”
Or maybe it was that every time I looked in the mirror and saw all the ‘crookedness’ and ‘disproportionateness’. When did my smile turn upside down?! Why do you like salty carbs so damn much?!
“You’re not enough.” “You’re ugly.” “You can’t get it together.” “Who do you think you are?!”…”Shame on you.”
One day, as I lay almost lifeless, bruised, hard-hearted, and achy from a recent fight with what seemed to be myself, Jesus came to me. He kneeled down next to me and lifted my eyes to meet His. In that moment I could very clearly smell the foul essence of the lies that were accosting my spirit, my soul, and my body.
“The shame that tortures you is not yours. If I am for you, who can be against you? Rom 8:31 You are wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14 I give you the strength to do all things through me. Phil 4:13 You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you. Sol. 4:7 I am with you, you will not fall; I will help you. Ps. 46:5 Pick up your crown and put it back on, my sweet, precious princess.”
Shame…it’s not mine! I belong to Jesus — unaccused and precious.
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