Exchanges Pt 1

Today, I’m beginning a series of posts on EXCHANGES. 

Life is a series of exchanges. Recently, I cleaned out our closet and found a shirt with the tags still attached. My wife and I took it to the store of purchase and I exchanged it for cash!  I love the power of an exchange!  

There are "insignificant” exchanges. They are simple. They make zero difference.

In the BIG PICTURE OF LIFE, however, there are significant exchanges we should seriously consider making. They are game changers. They are mile markers. They are difference makers.

For example, who wouldn’t exchange SHAME FOR FORGIVENESS?

What are you ashamed of? 🤔 I could give you a list a mile long of things I’ve done that I’m ashamed of. Wrong decisions, poor choices, lapses in judgment, are speckled throughout the course of my life.

Shame is a heavy burden to bear. 😫 Today, I’m beginning a series of posts on EXCHANGES. Life is a series of exchanges.

For example, who wouldn’t exchange SHAME FOR FORGIVENESS?

Shame is a heavy burden to bear. And bear in mind that shame is not guilt. 

Guilt says, “I did something bad.”

Shame says, “I am bad.”

Guilt says, “I made a mistake.”

Shame says, “I am a mistake.”

Shame runs deeper than guilt. When you do something wrong, you feel guilt because of your actions. 😥 But shame makes you feel that YOU are wrong. You’re a wrong person, you’re defiled, stained, marred.

There’s something you carry around with that causes you to loathe yourself. This is why shame is not easily resolved like guilt would be. With guilt, you can just stop those behaviors, but with shame, you can’t stop being you.

Shame is hard-wired into us by virtue of what happened in the beginning, in the Garden of Eden. 🌳

“At that moment their eyes were opened, 👀 and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness.                                Genesis 3:7-11

From the story of Adam and Eve in the garden, we can learn several things.

We were created for connection with God and each other. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👧

Shame is the result of sin and the reason behind many kinds of broken behaviors. 💊💉🚬🍩

Shame can from external sources. It can be the kind of shame that is heaped on us by others. People say things like, “Shame on you!” 😒

Shame can come from within because of our own wrongdoing. 😔

And the most common response to shame is to run and hide. 🏃‍♂️

God has a MUCH BETTER IDEA and it’s called FORGIVENESS.

I hate to leave it here, but this post is already too long. I’ll post about that beautiful exchange tomorrow.