Janice Thompson - Unashamed: Devotions and Prayers for a Burden-Free Heart

2019 by Barbour Publishing, Inc.

Print ISBN 978-1-64352-192-3

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Shame on you! You should be ashamed of yourself!

How many times did you hear these words spoken over you when you were growing up? Maybe hundreds. Most parents, friends, or loved ones dont even realize what theyre saying when those words come spilling out, but shame has sticking power.

With every naughty deed, every poor report card, every disobedient act, shame strikes to the core. And its difficult to part with once it has weaseled its way into your story. With every critique about weight, every harsh word about academic disappointments, every Youre not as pretty as your sister, shame wraps you in its tentacles and squeezes a bit harder until you begin to wonder how you will ever break free.

We were never meant to carry shame. This ominous cloud was never part of Gods plan for His kids. No matter what was spoken over you, no matter how many times you were criticized, you have nothing to be ashamed of. If youre walking in relationship with Christ, if youve accepted His free gift of salvation, then the shame is off you and on Him. He bore it all on the cross, once and for all, so that you could be set free.

As you read through these devotions, be encouraged. Allow God to cut the cords that have bound you to shame. Step out in freedom and learn to guard the words that you speak over others as you walk a new journey, free in Him.

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

2 C ORINTHIANS 3:17

Picture a prisoner on release day. He has spent years in a dark, dank cell, shrouded in hopelessness. Nothing about his confined situation has prepared him for life on the outside. But he dares to hope, dares to dream that he will leave his past behind and step into new life beyond those foreboding walls, a life unlike anything he has experienced thus far.

The gate swings wide, and he steps through, his heart beating fast. Does he really deserve freedom after the life hes lived, the things hes done? Will others always cast shame and blame, or will he really get the second chance hes been longing for?

Beams of sunlight blind him, and he squints to see the street, where a car is waiting to pick him up. With new resolve, he steps toward his new life, free from the past. No looking back. No memories of what sent him to prison in the first place. Hope abounds, and he sheds one mentality to embrace another.

So many of us can relate to this story. Weve been bound by years of sin and shame, living in confined spaces. The notion that freedom is possible seems ludicrous at best. Theres no way out for us, or so weve led ourselves to believe.

In many ways, we are like the woman we read about in the Gospel of John, the one caught in the act of adultery. She was living in a prison that seemed impossible to escape, a lifestyle that kept her wound tighter than a spool of thread. But Jesus looked upon her with mercy and grace. He didnt holler, Arent you ashamed of yourself? or Shame on you! No, He left that to the Pharisees. Instead, He bent down, wrote a few words in the dirt, and pricked the hearts of her accusers with these words: Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her (John 8:7).

Maybe there have been a few stone throwers in your life. Maybe theyve contributed to the dark cloud of shame hovering over you. Today is your day to step out from under that cloud, to look beyond the prison walls. Allow God to bring complete healingbe set free from the shame, but also take the time to forgive the ones who cloaked you in it. When you let go of the shame and bitterness, youll walk into the sunlight, never looking back.

Father, I want to be set free. For all who wounded me, I offer forgiveness. For those who spoke shame over me, I step out from under their words. Im not content to live in confinement anymore, Lord. Right here, right now, I proclaim my freedom. Amen.

The L ORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

P SALM 9:9

She was never meant to be the recipient of the shame, yet she wore it like a badge. The shame belonged to another, one who had his way with her when she was just a child. His sin, his crime, should have resulted in his shame, not hers. And yet she couldnt seem to break free from the burden of guilt.

She never knew what hit her. Instead of admitting his wrong, her perpetrator pressed the shame onto her, insisting she was somehow to blame for his wicked choices. How he managed to pull it off, she never could understand.

And she never fought that allegation. Broken, confused, and terrified, she did her best just to survive. On she went through the years, carrying a burden that should have landed squarely on the shoulders of the one who had wronged her so cruelly. But she couldnt figure out how to rid herself of it, no matter how hard she tried. Would she remain bound for the rest of her life, or could someone finally set her free?