"Shame"

Sometimes you’d hear ‘em say it,

You ought to be ashamed,

Wild horses rode, big trucks to load,

But shame, for sure, I claimed.

For years I tried to cowboy up,

And live the skills I learned,

But big regret, I bear it yet,

From time and bridges burned.

I know the Lord forgives me,

He promises He will,

I fight the shame, always the same,

I struggle with it still.

There is no condemnation,

That’s how the Good Book reads,

But that old noise, accusing voice,

Still plants those guilty seeds.

I hear God speaking comfort,

To say it’s all His grace,

We can rest, His love the best,

To help us run the race.

The voice of God’s own Spirit,

Inside to give us peace,

That burden gone, we bore so long,

And from all shame release.

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:1-2, NIV)

What is the law of sin and death? It is simply that we have sinned against God and guilty of breaking God’s law. The penalty for our sin is death, which is broadly defined as separation from God. To be condemned means to be judged guilty, The Good News of Jesus Christ is that we have been pardoned and now judged “not guilty” because of what Jesus did for us. Through His death and resurrection we are totally forgiven and made right with God, and therefore are set free from all condemnation. The Spirit of life makes it so, and speaks to us with certainty that we are forgiven. Sometimes it takes awhile for this to set in, however. Shame can be used by the enemy to keep us bogged down. No condemnation means no condemnation.

Lord, help us to realize that we no longer have the bear the burden of shame, in Jesus’ name.

Photo by Mary Peters, used by permission. Thanks, Mary, and God bless you.