COME FIND YOUR MERCY (1 OF 3)
by Craig Smith
Scripture: Matthew 9:1-2
This content is part of a series.
Come Find Your Mercy (1 of 3)
Series: Come Find Your Mercy
Craig Smith
Matthew 9:1-2
I. Introduction
Today we're going to talk about something that's been called a hidden epidemic. It's not out front and center like the coronavirus...you can't track it like COVID-19 . But I really believe it's an epidemic every bit as damaging as COVID-19. Actually, it's probably more damaging because Covid-19 only affects the body and the epidemic I'm talking about affects the soul. And because it affects the soul, it has the potential to be eternally significant. And the epidemic I'm talking about today is the epidemic of shame.
Now I know some people will have a hard time believing shame is something we have too much of. In fact, I hear on a regular basis that our culture is shame-less...that we don't have enough shame any more. And I get that. People say that because an awful lot of stuff we once agreed was wrong and bad...we now treat as right and good. Things that were once whispered about in secret are now celebrated in public. So it's natural to think that our culture has less shame now than we ever have.
But I believe that the departure of shame from our culture has just masked the deepening of shame in our individual lives. On an individual level...on a deep and a profound personal level, I believe shame is alive and well and it's eating us alive.
To understand why I say that, I think we have to start with a definition. Borrowing on the work of Brene Brown, I think it's useful to think of shame this way: shame is the persistent feeling that our mistakes make us unworthy of love and belonging. Shame isn't just what we feel because we've made mistakes, shame is the feeling that our mistakes have made us, as people, unworthy of love and belonging. I also think it's important to make a distinction between shame and guilt. Guilt says ''I did something bad''. Shame says ''I am bad...and because of the bad things I've done, I am unworthy of love and belong ...
Series: Come Find Your Mercy
Craig Smith
Matthew 9:1-2
I. Introduction
Today we're going to talk about something that's been called a hidden epidemic. It's not out front and center like the coronavirus...you can't track it like COVID-19 . But I really believe it's an epidemic every bit as damaging as COVID-19. Actually, it's probably more damaging because Covid-19 only affects the body and the epidemic I'm talking about affects the soul. And because it affects the soul, it has the potential to be eternally significant. And the epidemic I'm talking about today is the epidemic of shame.
Now I know some people will have a hard time believing shame is something we have too much of. In fact, I hear on a regular basis that our culture is shame-less...that we don't have enough shame any more. And I get that. People say that because an awful lot of stuff we once agreed was wrong and bad...we now treat as right and good. Things that were once whispered about in secret are now celebrated in public. So it's natural to think that our culture has less shame now than we ever have.
But I believe that the departure of shame from our culture has just masked the deepening of shame in our individual lives. On an individual level...on a deep and a profound personal level, I believe shame is alive and well and it's eating us alive.
To understand why I say that, I think we have to start with a definition. Borrowing on the work of Brene Brown, I think it's useful to think of shame this way: shame is the persistent feeling that our mistakes make us unworthy of love and belonging. Shame isn't just what we feel because we've made mistakes, shame is the feeling that our mistakes have made us, as people, unworthy of love and belonging. I also think it's important to make a distinction between shame and guilt. Guilt says ''I did something bad''. Shame says ''I am bad...and because of the bad things I've done, I am unworthy of love and belong ...
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