JAILED 4 SHAME
Extract:
Pride greases the downward slope to destruction of BOTH the younger Christians and more seasoned members of the church.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7
Living in awareness of our vulnerabilities is humility. Taking action to minimize those vulnerabilities allows us to help others who are slipping.
Shame from stumbling or failing is crushed when one humbly accepts their vulnerabilities and does not condemn themselves.
An unrealistic view of one’s indestructibility is common when stumbling into situations that cause Father to frown. Therefore, REPENT of your PRIDE and SHARE another’s burden so that you may “obey the law of Christ” - Galatians 6:2.
Jailed 4 Shame
By Steven D. Webber
The inmate’s story was perplexing. This was his second time in jail for substance abuse. After the first time, he got help, found a great church, married, had two kids, and had a great job. He had earned respect. But then, he started drifting back into drugs.
“With your wife and church and the support of friends, what kept you from reaching out to them when you started to slip?”
SHAME.
And along with the shame came fear of losing the respect he had worked so hard to earn.
What was the slippery slope that spoiled his hard-earned reputation and landed him in jail again – and without the support of family?
The Slippery Slope
The Apostle Peter identifies pride as a grease on the slope of BOTH the younger Christians and more seasoned members of the church. For the young, they act like they are indestructible and sophomoric, knowing better than the “old farts”. And for the seasoned, instead of being understanding, they judge those quickly sliding towards destruction.
In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:5-7
Living in awareness of our vulnerabilities is humility. Taking action to minimize those vulnerabilities allows us to help others who are slipping. Humility, an accurate view of one’s capabilities, minimizes shame and the fear of losing respect.
Shame is crushed when those who stumble humbly accept their vulnerabilities and do not condemn themselves when they fail. These vulnerabilities include the haunting habits of our depraved sinful nature. One’s pride is exposed when they cannot forgive themselves.
Shame is crushed when those who have not stumbled humbly acknowledge the truth that only the power of God within has kept them from the same choices and consequences of the one who is stumbling. Their pride is exposed when they choose not to forgive others as they play god in issuing deserved punishment to the offender.
My Word Picture:
Growing up in New England and working on rescue squads, I was trained for ice rescue. The training video went something like this:
A person playing in the snow on a frozen lake starts hearing ice cracking. Suddenly it gives way. Dunked in the freezing water and weighed down by their heavy winter gear, they grapple for the surface and grasp the ice at the edge of the hole.
The scene shifts to the fire truck coming to the rescue. Inside the cab, a rescuer, built like a ‘fire hydrant’, strips down and squeezes into an orange “dry suit” with layers of furry thermal underwear, all while bouncing around as the truck races to the scene over country roads.
When they arrive, he jumps from the cab and allows others to tie a rope around his waist (mittens do not work so well for tying knots quickly). As the rest of the rescue crew plays out the rope and finds firm footing, the orange ‘beast’ races across the ice until he falls through. Because the “dry suit” keeps out most of the frigid water, he is able to swim to the victim and grabs them in a polar bear hug. Then the crew on the riverbank feverishly pulls them both out of the water.
Yet, often seasoned Christians just stand on the shore and comment about how stupid it was for the person to go out on the ice. Stupid even though they likely did some stupid, risky things in their younger days. But an addict does not typically make one poor choice and fall through. Their failure is more of a slippery, gentle slope with poor decisions compounding earlier poor decisions which increase the downward slide.
If you are one who cannot empathize with another’s addiction, cautiously read “My Side Rant” below. Warning: It could change your perspective.
Peter’s Word Picture:
After these instructions to be realistic and humble, Peter then paints an image of what happens when one thinks they have it all together and do not need the safety of their ‘elders.’
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 1 Peter 5:8-9
A lion, concealed by the tall grass, stalks a herd looking for the weak one. He quietly creeps up to his next easy meal. Then, just before his meal, he roars his thanks to his creator. Well, perhaps not quite our customary blessing for our food.
Note that Peter incorporates the whole family of believers throughout the world as part of this ‘herd’. There really is nothing new in suffering. It is a fact of Christian life.
But Peter closes this story with a celebration of Father snatching that easy meal from the enemy’s paralyzing roar. “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever.” (1 Peter 5:10-11)
The Apostle Paul adds a provocative twist to this message in his letter to the Galatian church. He states that to share another’s burden is to ‘obey the law of Christ.’ Here is what Paul wrote:
Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. Galatians 6:1-3 NLT
Perhaps this “obey the law of Christ” is based on what Jesus said:
Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 NLT
Brothers and sisters, we are in this together. Jesus destroyed the concept that sin has multiple levels when he pronounced that thinking about doing wrong is the same as actually doing that wrong. Contending with idols and addiction is a common struggle in the body of Christ. The characteristics of alcoholism are similar to the traits of other sins.
Hear me on this:
An unrealistic view of one’s strengths and vulnerabilities is a common component of stumbling or diving into situations that bring a frown to Father’s face. Therefore, REPENT of your PRIDE and SHARE another’s burden so that you may obey the law of Christ.
Endeavoring to Obey the Law of Christ,
My Side Rant
Every person, including me, is an addict. We each have foundational motivations that drive our decisions. These are often labeled as “feelings,” usually pleasurable feelings but sometimes punishing feelings of guilt.
For some, it is a chemical addiction such as alcohol or drugs that generate a desirable feeling. For others it may be a behavior, such as exercise or risk-taking, that also generates desirable feelings. These governing behaviors include work, status, things, sex, relationships, dark raspberry chocolate, anger, and even TikTok.
Each of these behaviors appear to satisfy foundational wants and needs with which we have been created. For example, God created us to desire sex and oneness – and He done GOOD. But when one tries to satisfy that desire outside of the guidelines God has stated, the act of intercourse becomes an idol that can never fully satisfy the longings with which we are created. Pursuing those feelings can quickly become an addiction, also known as idolatry.
When one pursues desires and needs in ways that are outside the guiderails our Creator has established, the Bible calls this idolatry. Anything that gets in the way of our relationship with the Father, with ‘loving God with all you got,’ that is an idol.
I may expand further at another time but hope that this side rant has raised your awareness of at least one addiction which has captured you, perhaps without you realizing it. These struggles, which are often hidden from others, allow us to be empathetic and helpful to those who’s struggles are more public.
