Genesis 3:7-10 (NLT)
7 At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. 8 When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. 9 Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10 He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”
7 At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. 8 When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. 9 Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10 He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”
These verses are about the after results of man’s fall to
sin. In Genesis 2:25 it says, “Now the man and his wife were both naked, but
they felt no shame.” Prior to their sinful act there was no shame in their
lives. Yet in verse 7 we find they suddenly felt the shame at their nakedness.
Satan, the deceiver had previously told them “your eyes will be opened as soon
as you eat”. Satan words were true, but he also suggested “they would be like God
knowing good and evil”. They did know the difference between good and evil;
except now the sin was on them and they saw it clearly.
Shame is an emotion closely related to guilt. Shame can
be defined as "a painful emotion caused by consciousness of guilt,
shortcoming, or impropriety." What separates guilt from shame is "We
feel guilty for what we do. We feel shame for what we are." Shame is often
a much stronger and more profound emotion than guilt. "Shame is when we
feel disappointed about something inside of us, our basic nature." Both shame
and guilt can have intensive implications for our perceptions of self and our
behavior toward other people.
The problem with shame is that is emphasizes what is
wrong with us. It is an intense inward feeling that will cause us to turn from
others, try to hide our problems, and can make us defensive about our issues.
Look at Adam and Eve. As soon as the guilt of sin came up them they felt shame.
They hid themselves from God, not because they were naked, but because they
felt the shame of sin. It wasn’t God who moved away from Adam and Eve; it was
Adam and Eve who moved away from God.
The next thing Adam and Eve did was to take their shame
and turn it towards others. Eve blamed the serpent. Adam blamed God for the
woman given to him. Shame hurt them so deeply inside they could not admit to
their own fault. They had to blame someone else.
This often happens in addictions. A person feels shame for
issues in their life. The shame is very painful and is a constant reminder to
the person about their perceived failure. Then they act out because they want
to relieve the pain. Then the problem is they feel more shame. In their efforts
to analyze their problems they blame others just as Adam and Eve did. Then the
cycle repeats. The person tries to fix the pain, cover the shame and repeat
their problems all over again.
Fortunately we have a Savior Jesus Christ who has paid
the debt for all our sin. When we hold onto shame we are holding onto a debt
that has already been paid. We are allowing shame to own us even though it was
taken away by the blood of Jesus.
If you feel shame in your life turn it over to God and
allow Christ to comfort you and show you His grace and mercy. Allow The Lord to
heal your pains and let you confess your problems to others that they may help
you. Stop the repetitive actions of shame and allow God to set your free.
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