The eerie revelation to self that isolates one in the face of an sacred community. What is revealed is a moral inferiority that makes one vulnerable to irresistible forces. As a state of feeling, shame is fearful, chaotic, holistic and humbling. –Definition of shame (Jack Katz)
Liberating hope…those two words caught my attention; my eyes drawn to the speaker. Jesus gives us liberating hope. Hope from shame…from the deep sense that you are unacceptable because of something done by you, to you, or in association with you. And my heart skipped a beat. I knew I wasn’t the only woman shifting uneasily that morning…as if the pastor could peer into my heart and see the secrets I had buried there.
And he spoke of Mary Magdalene–the woman who had been hostess to seven demons.
Imagine her life…merely a lowly woman in that ancient culture, Mary would have been shunned; avoided; a topic of discussion but never compassion. She was despised for the burden she carried within–the inescapable filth, fear, and fiendish vulnerability. Mary understood deep, soul-searing shame. Unacceptable…dirty…and filled to overflowing by the chaotic, controlling influence of her own personal demons.
And Jesus did something revolutionary.
Instead of avoiding Mary, he invited her. Rather than casting stones, he cast out demons. Not willing to condemn with his words, Christ offered Mary a new name–“Daughter of the King”. And in her newfound freedom a woman was re-born…transformed–from demoniac to disciple and unlovable to beloved.
Jesus gave Mary Magdalene liberating hope–true, lasting freedom from a past that might have destroyed her. The road to freedom was a difficult one for Mary. Her burdens were as real as yours. Take just one step today, Dear Friend–one step toward the healing arms of Jesus. Yes, sometimes this path that promises healing seems more like an insurmountable mountain, but Christ paved the way to wholeness with each step He made toward Golgotha. Our freedom is a certainty because Jesus did something revolutionary for you and me–He died that we might be fully restored.
So today…take a step in faith toward the revolutionary Jesus. Begin your walk to freedom by declaring–in all of your doubt, fear, or cynicism–that He is able to do a transformative work in your heart…your life…your ever-after.
Prayer for Today
Dear Lord,
I feel like a Mary–carrying my own personal demons around inside of me–and they haunt me as much as they did when I was a child. Like Mary, I didn’t ask for these burdens. They were thrust upon me by someone who should have loved and cared for me, but instead used me for personal satisfaction in ways that left me feeling isolated and ruled by fear.
But now, Lord, I’m calling out your name. I’m desperate for deliverance…for a liberating freedom that breaks the chains of the past. Give me a vision of the future where I have been transformed and made whole because I choose to believe and claim the power of your word which tells me “that God who began the good work within you will keep right on helping you grow in his grace until his task within you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns”. (Phil. 1:6)
In the name of the revolutionary Jesus Christ,
Amen.
Response
Was there something you read today that prompted you to think about the shame you carry? What one step can you take on the road to healing today?