The one who trusts in him will never be put to shame. (1 Peter 2:6)
The dog and cat had the run of the house, using it as a 1,500-square-foot litter box. We stepped carefully across the living room floor, as if walking through a minefield, trying to avoid the feces scattered on the carpet. The owner of the home, a dear elderly friend, was suffering from several health complications that prevented her from bending down to clean. Along with another friend, the three of us sat on her couch talking and praying together. We developed a plan that might help her with the cleaning. At the end of the conversation, she looked at me with big eyes and said, “Please don’t judge me.” We assured her that we came to help and to love, not to judge. She did not need to feel shame.
At times everyone feels ashamed of the state of “their house,” their inner lives. We hope people don’t get a glimpse at our filthy thoughts, hidden doubts, ugly habits, or most regrettable reactions. Satan can use these feelings of shame to drive us into isolation. We lock the front door and don’t let anyone in. But as followers of Jesus, we are never put to shame. We believe his cleansing power is stronger than our deepest filth. What may smell like the stench of shame to us, Jesus discerns as the fragrance of hope.
Invite a trusted friend into your place of shame.
Jarod Osborne is lead pastor of Pathway [Wesleyan] Church, in Warsaw, Indiana. He is the author of Jaded Faith (WPH).
© 2023 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
