Stronger in the Difficult Placesනියැදිය

Day 1

NEVER ENOUGH?

“How did you find healing when I can barely look at myself in the mirror?” I hear this question a lot from women. I get it. A lot of us might seem to be well-functioning yet experience a deep sense of never being enough. It’s called complex shame. But God offers a healing that I have experienced in my own life. He offers that to you as well.

Complex shame often begins with one or more events in a person’s life that leave a lasting impact. This shame be­comes woven into their identity, shaping how they see themselves and the world around them. As a result, many people with complex shame have a history of difficult or broken relationships or a lack of intimacy in their relationships. They struggle, often secretly, with de­pression, anxiety, self-esteem struggles, haunting regrets from the past, people-pleasing, co-dependency, fear of abandonment, physical pain, or chronic illness.

If you recognize any of these characteristics in yourself, the first step is to take them to God. God knows all about shame because he witnessed its inception in the Garden of Eden. At first “Adam and his wife were both naked,and they felt no shame” (Genesis 2:25 NIV). After their sin, though, “the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves” (v. 7). See, the purpose of shame is to make us hide. Shame distances us. The enemy created shame in Adam and Eve in order to distance them from God. We all tend to try to hide our weaknesses—from ourselves, from others, from God. This pattern is as old as the Garden of Eden.

When Adam and Eve heard God calling, they tried to hide from him. But no matter what we may try, God sees everything (Jeremiah 16:17). Though we might fear that being known will lead to rejection, God knows us completely and never turns away. As Hebrews 4:16 tells us, “Let us then approachGod’s throne of grace with confidence,so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (NIV).

God has compassion on our shame, whatever its causes or consequences. Just as he supplied Adam and Eve with clothing (Genesis 3:21), he will help us deal with our shame in a way that brings healing and hope.

In what ways do you try to hide what you believe are “bad” parts of you? How do you respond to the idea that God longs for you to come to him?