There is difference between guilt and shame. One is a fact and one is a feeling. Guilt is the knowledge of having done something wrong. Shame is the evil result; shame is the false feeling that your value has somehow changed.
The results of shame:
- Covering up with religion and becoming focused on doing good works.
- Lying, deception, false pride.
- Making promises we can’t keep.
- Getting our self-worth from the things that we do.
- An inability to come to a place of honesty with God because we believe we have no true value.
- Concentrating on our sin instead of concentrating on our Savior.
This focus on shame strips us of the power to change. It keeps us focused on the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil – which we were never meant to consume. It keeps us away for grabbing the Tree of Life – The blood of Jesus is the provision God made for our sin.
Guilt is about what we have done, but shame is about who we are.
With guilt, we can always get a fresh start. With shame we are caught in a noose, because the problem stays with us. With shame, we are the problem.
The solution to getting rid of shame is to see ourselves as God sees us.
Psalm 103:11-13 New International Version (NIV)
11 For as high as the heavens
are above the earth,
so great is his
love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from
the west,
so far has he removed our
transgressions from us.
13 As a father has
compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who
fear him;
1 John 1:9 New International Version (NIV)
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
As children of God, we should never feel shame. IF we fear God and confess our guilt, He removes our sin completely. If we allow our relationship with our Father to grow, He will purify us. (To purify means to remove any foreign object… including the evil feeling of shame that the devil wants us to hold onto so we reject the redemptive relationship God is offering.)
It is interesting that throughout the history of literature, there is a common theme, The Hero’s Journey. A story so often told and repeated and accepted as an ideal to which we should strive.
It is worth thinking about what the process is… evaluating where we are at… how did we get here… and, when we’re stuck in the Abyss, how do we get out?
The journey of the hero is not made alone. There are helpers. There is supernatural assistance. But the return trip appears to be through the work, the choices, and the persistence of the hero.
To remain in the abyss is to remain a fool.
To remain in the abyss is to remain a slave to any evil emotion that prevents you from making the next courageous choice.