A quick confession: I got so busy yesterday that I completely forgot until this morning when Jocelyn sent me a note kindly asking for my Pastor’s Corner and reading her email, I was ashamed. Not from her but that self-inflicted kind of a shame.

Shame can be one of the most powerful feelings that we have. Carl Gustav Jung, the noted psychoanalyst, is quoted as saying, “Shame is a soul-eating emotion.” Shame has a lot of control over our feelings and our actions.

While there are many areas where shame can manifest, with the rise of Covid-19, I imagine there will be lots of times of shame: losing a job or being furloughed; how well you are or are not doing at quarantining; or if you get the virus, feeling ashamed simply by having gotten it. Shame can also come from personal issues that are starting to surface because you simply cannot run from them any longer or keep yourself busy enough to forget.

Shame has one place where it grows and thrives: in the dark. The best way to deal with shame is to talk about it. Our instinct is to hold it close, to not let anyone see it. Do not let shame trick you into thinking you are so strong, tough, or smart that you don’t have to deal with it or can “handle it” on your own. We are not intended to do this journey of life alone. 

The scriptures have words for us in our moments of shame. In the Psalms, once the confession was made, we hear the words, “You will not let me be ashamed.” In Romans Ch. 10, Paul proclaims to you that in Christ, you do not have shame, for he has taken it away. 

When you talk about your shame, you put words to your emotions and take control of that feeling. You take away shame’s breeding ground and take back control from it. If you are in need of someone to talk with, let me know. I would be happy to listen and hear your concerns or feelings of shame.  May God lead you and give you the light you need in today’s world and time.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Tim