Genesis 3:8  Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

I previously shared my experience of attempting a 5K race when I was unprepared, which served as my wake-up call. I reached out to a personal trainer, committed to improving my health. During a check-in call, she praised my consistency but overheard me ordering a half dozen strawberry glazed donuts. When I returned to the conversation, she confronted me, saying, “Eunice! I heard what you just ordered. Shame on you!” I explained it was my cheat day, but she reminded me, “You said that yesterday.”

Shame is a negative self-evaluation that leads you to feel broken and condemned for your choices, while guilt relates to feeling bad about your actions. Everyone experiences some level of shame in their lives. Brene Brown states, “Shame derives its power from being unspeakable and works overtime to make you feel unworthy of love, belonging, and connection.”

Dr. Jamal Bryant shared a pivotal moment in this message when he stated that shame’s job is to make you feel unworthy of love, belonging, and connection. He said you have to stop dating at the level of your broken self-esteem. Dr. Bryant encouraged us to reach a point where we stop condemning and disqualifying ourselves. We are in a place provided by God to shelter us from the bombs our memory keeps dropping, which explode our self-worth.

In Genesis 2:25, the Bible says that Adam and his wife were naked and felt no shame. However, the snake entered the first family with shame and confusion. They thought they could hide from God. Don’t let your issue drive you into seclusion.

Do you know the cost God is willing to pay so you won’t have to live in shame? Don’t allow a voice to convince you that you are not worthy of the presence of God. Romans 8 declares there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. As a joint heir in Christ, you don’t have the right to live in shame. God loves you the way He created you, and He has not changed His mind! I will conclude this article with one of my favorite scriptures, the one Dr. Bryant shared at the end of his message: Isaiah 61:7. Instead of your shame, you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace, you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.

Minister Eunice Gillion