When guilt isolates, “I am with you” is the only bridge back to hope. The power of solidarity helps us in the face of judgment and shame. How are they going to respond? How will they react? They had done some things they knew would go against what everyone thought […]
shame
12 posts
Being put to shame is to have comparisons made and to see yourself as being flawed, but a refuge can be found, and hope can be restored. I could see him withering under a hailstorm of accusations. He had a sexual addiction, and he was trying to stay true, but […]
Our brains can keep reminding us. ‘My Sin is Ever Before Me’ writes the poet, but what if we had a purifier? It’s ever before me. It’s in my face. If there was a common theme, I get from many of those who email me it is the sense […]
When the receiving of love has strings attached, then is it really love? Love is a Gift With no Strings Attached. In many of the gardens I visit, they have garden hoses, and for the last few years many gardeners have been installing retractable hose reels. They are quite a […]
Sitting with shame can suffocate life, but sitting in solidarity with someone in soul talk can break its control. It’s there if you want to hear it. A sneaky, whispery voice from the past. You hear it in others. They may have said nothing directly to you, but it’s […]
It was my shame, but it wasn’t to be carried alone. I had a friend who knew it all, and God entered in and healed the pain. I was being laughed at. I was only a seven-year-old, but for the first time, I felt the cold icy winds of being […]
Sometimes we can find ourselves stuck in a dark hole and feel like we are going down, but there is hope when we open ourselves to the connection and support from others. One property I work on as a gardener is a small farm, and I get to use a […]
Giving the ‘shirt off your back’ is not an invitation to more abuse. It is a subtle expression of self-worth and can confuse and shame the bully. Have you ever tried to challenge someone’s behavior, and it just gets thrown back at you? You may feel like you are being […]
Harvey didn’t quite know what to make of the whole noise and hubbub happening outside his hermit cave. He had run from all the scandal, and now he was out in the desert looking after a bunch of smelly sheep. Others too were joining him. All clothed in rags and […]
The shame of an attempt at suicide can cling onto you like the odor of some dirty old socks. You would do anything to get rid of that stench. Is that a good description of shame? That feeling of embarrassment at what you have done. You want to hide, run, cover it […]