Everyone please read the book Stuff Christians Like by Jonathan Acuff.
Its a huge part of this blog.
Can you remember the first time you ever felt shame?
I can.
I was a pretty free-spirited kid, not giving much thought to what others were thinking of me.
During the summer between 2nd and 3rd grade, I fell out of a bunkbed at church camp and smashed up my face.
No, really. I did.
I broke my orbital bone (which is the one directly under you eye, and in my case, my right eye).
Its a crazzzzy long story, but basically, the muscle got caught in the broken bone and swelled to 30 times its size. Yeah, ouch. So they performed surgery, but it had been without bloodflow for over 36 hours, which could cause some serious lasting effects. This resulted in double vision, astigmatism, and my eyesight was shot. All of these could be fixed with the proper pair of glasses or contacts. But, my muscle's swelling wouldn't go down. So they turned to steriods. I took seven pills a day for more than six months. All i really remember is my mother hiding them in my pudding or yogurt, and me feeling completely betrayed once I realized she'd tricked me.
Of course, I gained ridiculous amounts of weight. And had to wear an eyepatch to school of my right eye and glasses due to my double vision.
I honestly didn't think much of it.
That year, my little sister was a kindergartner and my little brother a first grader.
We Reddings are tight, so when we see eachother in the hallways, we hug and ask each other how our days are going, what we had for lunch, which teacher assigned a million math problems for homework, etc.
So, naturally, when I saw my little brother walking down the hallway, we ran to each other for a quick hugdate (yes, I just created a word combining 'hug' and 'upadte'. It seemed appropriate).
"Ew, he just hugged the fat, eyepatch girl."
There you go, folks. A random comment from a kid in my little brothers first grade class.
It shattered me.
I felt miniscule and huge at the same time.
I felt ridiculed and embarrassed.
But mainly, I felt ashamed of myself.
and for my poor siblings who were associated with me.
Remember in the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve hid from God?
Remember what they said when He asked why they were hiding?
"We were ashamed of our nakedness."
And how did God reply?
"You idiots! Of course you're naked, I made you that way! It's not like I haven't seen you naked before. Sheesh. I mean, really guys. This is ridiculous."
Honestly, I kinda smile when I think about God talking that way.
But anyways, what He really said was,
"Who told you that you were naked?"
There was a sadness in God's voice when He had to ask this question, I just know it.
Here was His beautiful creation, whom He'd made so carefully and loved more than imagination, and it was ashamed of itself. Think about how much that hurt Him.
Who told you that you were not enough?
Who told you that I didn't love you?
Who told you that there was something outside of Me that you needed?
Who told you that you were ugly?
Who told you that your dream was foolish?
Who told you that you would never have child?
Who told you that you would never be a father?
Who told you that weren't a good mother?
Who told you that without a job you aren't worth anything?
Who told you that you'll never know love again?
Who told you that THIS was all there was?
Who told you that you were naked?
God is still asking that question.
And he's still asking us because we haven't given him the right answer.
Because,
In Christ, we are not worthless.
In Christ, we are not hopeless.
In Christ, we are not dumb or ugly or forgotten.
In Christ, we are not naked.
For he has clothed me with the garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness. -Isaiah 61:10
You are not naked.
