Text: Lamentations 4:1-11, Psalm 32:6-7
I confess I’m easily, daily, hourly tricked by the exterior of a person — what they look like, where they live, what they do with their days, even how the world classifies them in terms of wealth and status and ethnicity and name. I confess I believe the lie that those things matter; I confess I have to remind myself of the person inside the person—the story and soul that make them who they are.
I remember reading CS Lewis’s essay “The Weight of Glory” for the first time, how it gripped my heart and imagination with the truth that people are just souls with bodies. I say “just” like it’s no big deal, but the truth is, it’s a very big deal. The biggest, actually. The folks I drove past on the interstate today, them in their car and I in mine; the nice young man who handed me our dinner at the drive-thru window on the way home from a late day; the woman who listened as my son breathed deeply in and out as he sat on the table in the doctor’s office; the mom who walked out of that room with her own sick boy just before we walked in—they are each the creation of a loving God. They are each the soul Jesus died to save.
“There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit—immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.”
– CS Lewis, “The Weight of Glory”
Whew. It’s heavy, right?
But Lewis is right. These false classifications and temporary circumstances I confess to idolizing can change in an instant—but I hold them up nonetheless. I tend to judge myself just as harshly—What right do I have to my health and my home, my family and my job? And there I go, carrying false guilt around with my true guilt and wondering why it’s so hard to stand.
Like the gold and the stones in this passage from Lamentations, all the shiny things eventually tarnish and all the strong things soon scatter—and if my hope for myself and others is found in anything but God, I am tossed around like a dry leaf in the wind. Like the lady Jerusalem, I stand in ruins, longing just for a place to hide.
Therefore let everyone who is godly
offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;
surely in the rush of great waters,
they shall not reach him.
You are a hiding place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah
– Psalm 32:6-7 ESV
The consequences of my sin are devastating, but more devastating still is my lack of repentance. Lack of repentance breeds shame, and shame whispers lies in my ear. Shame tells me I can’t be forgiven. Shame tells me I’m not worth forgiving. But the Cross tells a different story—the true story.
Jesus knew shame. The beloved hymn says it well:
On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.
Jesus endured my shame on the Cross, every last ounce. He endured yours, too. When I’m guilty of shaming others… when I’m guilty of shaming myself… when I am guilty of forgetting who He is, who I am in Him, and who YOU are in Him — His sacrifice covers it all.
Will you seek Christ with me today just as you are, sin and all? Will you believe with me that He can be found? He is there on the Cross, with mercy enough for you and for me.
Matthew Henry writes, “In a time of finding, when the heart is softened with grief, and burdened with guilt; when all human refuge fails; when no rest can be found to the troubled mind, then it is that God applies the healing balm by his Spirit.”
May our hearts be softened by grief and burdened with a godly guilt that leads to repentance. When all human refuge fails—and, by God’s grace, even before!—may we repent and look to the Cross.
Oh, psalm 51:17! May I allow my spirit to be broken and humble before my Lord!
First, congratulations on the new partnership with Lifeway!
Wow! I, too, make so many judgments based on exterior alone. And I often allow myself to be consumed with how others might be judging me based on my exterior. I, too, carry around false guilt and shame. And I, too, don't repent often enough because I struggle to find myself worthy of being able to repent in the first place. Thank you for reminding me that I am worthy of repentance, forgiveness, and grace, and that I can extend that grace to others by seeing them as worthy individuals, people that Jesus died for too. God finds me worthy, no matter how much I think I've messed up.
I, too, love the C.S. Lewis quote, and I guess I'm struck by how our sin cheapens our worth in the eyes of fellow immortals from the first several verses of the Lamentations passage this morning. God created gold, but we put forth dullness and ashes when we don't repent and insist on wallowing (or reveling!) in our sin. Even as Christians it can be difficult to see fellow sinners as the gold they've been created to be, and for that we must repent and seek the Lord to open our eyes. Praying today for repentance that leads to a true portrayal in my life of what Creator God made us to be.
I am so easily tricked by the exterior of a person, too. And I'm tricked by the "everyday", and by a sense of complacency that's more comfortable to sit in than facing the many hard, dire realities of the lives of so many around us- namely, their lack of Christ and His redemption and new life. But thank you for your honesty about it, and as always, for the encouragement to see the world as it really is, through His lens of truth, and then to trust Him and strive for better with His help. I am SO thankful for what you ladies do here, praise God for your faithfulness, for His mighty work through you, and for all of us lucky women who get to be a part of it! I blog about faith, motherhood, and art/design, and I have a big link to you from the sidebar of my website. I recommend you to as many women as I can! Thanks again, and God bless! | http://www.sarahkeller.com
"Lack of repentance breeds shame, and shame whispers lies in my ear. Shame tells me I can’t be forgiven. Shame tells me I’m not worth forgiving. But the Cross tells a different story—the true story."
A few years ago my husband had an affair. It was a very rough time in our life, we were experiencing empty nest, death in each of families, and just other day to day struggles that come with living on this earth. To say I was devastated, would be putting it mildly. I was hurt, crushed, my self esteem is still suffering, but I love my husband, I love the life that we have built in our 32 years of marriage. It was worth fighting for. There are days now when I can't even remember the woman's name or the exact time that it happened. My husband on the other had is consumed by guilt, shame, and a sense of worthlessness. He can't seem to get passed it. He feels unworthy of my love, of my respect, of God's love & forgiveness. When I read this statement in the devotional today, my mind went immediately to him, and oh how I wish he could apply this to his life. His guilt is affecting his health emotionally and physically. Pray for my husband, that he can fully repent and accept God's forgiveness.
This study is a blessing to me and I am so thankful for this group of friends I have found on this site.
Prayers lifted Gayle…
I will be praying for him.
Praying
I struggled for many years with terrible guilt and shame of having an abortion. I finally met a mature Christian who reminded me through bible study and long talks that God removes my sin as far as the east is from the west. I came to the place where I had to face my flesh, doubts and fears — I realized I was not surrendered; By stepping aside and moving my flesh out of the way –I received forgiveness, after many many years I was able to receive the full grace of Jesus. Praise God Jesus hung on that cross – for me, for your husband for all of us. no one's sin is greater than someone else's. I'm praying your husband comes to the place where Jesus is waiting – for your husband to move out of the way of forgiveness and let God's grace rain down.
Thank you for this. I really struggle with the false guilt that you mentioned, or struggle with telling the difference between true guilt and false… Does anyone know of any books or other resources where I could learn More about this and perhaps learn to deal with false guilt better? Thanks! Thank you to She Reads Truth for all your work and dedication, these morning devotions have done so much to change my heart and to shape my days.
http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2010/05/11/are-christians-meant-to-feel-guilty-all-the-time/
This article helped me with understanding false guilt a little more.
Amanda, once again: thank you! Please keep keeping it real!
This was so good! I actually stopped and had a moment of confession with the Lord. I thank you for your realness and rawness because your words caused the Holy Spirit to move in my heart and convict me of the same thing. I am eager to love someone during a hard time/tragedy but on a day to day basis I fall short of His glory so often by judgments and not seeing people for people because I am so busy with a list or busy judging them based on what I see – just like how you said it. I love that you ended it with His sacrifice covers all. When I forget…when my day goes on and who I am in Him and who THEY are because of HIM slips my mind I can rest assured that His grace covers all. So thankful He is not done with me yet!