Month: May 2022
What is The Shame-Train?
Shame has a way of following you like a continuous train. With repetitious thoughts that haunt you wherever you go. Shame is like a train in that it continuous with many different cars (thoughts) moving along the tracks of life. Wherever the locomotive goes the cars follow.
The cars of the shame train are called I should have, I can’t, not good enough, not pretty enough, not popular enough, not loved, no one cares about me, I’m to old, to skinny, to fat, not smart enough… Then there is a rejection car, fear car, anxiety car, unforgiveness, I will always be this way car…
Shame is a pervasive feeling and thoughts of I am bad, flawed, or damaged. It goes with you; it’s deep within your heart and mind. A few causes of shame are abuse in all forms, neglect, or conditional love. In each one of those there is a myriad of other issues.
How do we break free and jump off the shame-train? Through the power of God, His Word and by Christ love we are healed, set free and can jump off that train.
Isaiah 53:3 MSG “He was looked down on and passed over, a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand. One look at him and people turned away, We looked down on him, thought he was scum. But the fact is, it was our pains he carried-our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.” Jesus took our shame to the cross so that He could stand in our place, and we could be healed and set free.
As we are healed by God in the name of Jesus all sorrow of the shame is replaced with His acceptance and love. As a child of God, you don’t have to carry the pain of the past of what someone did or said to you, what you did or said either when we surrender to God the hurts, pain and sorrows He fills it with his healing. To be free of shame and jump off the shame-train name the car and surrender the pain to God. Process shame with releasing it and surrendering it over to God.
Forgiveness flows as you give it to God, sometimes we hold onto it through unforgiveness because we want retribution for what was done to us but God says vengeance is his so we trust he will deal with it we can let go.
Forgiveness frees you to heal and grow.
In the book “The Father’s Daughters” I talk about shame, rejection, and forgiveness. If you have never read it, I do recommend getting it on Amazon it has powerful prayers to pray for your healing and deliverance. It truly is time to jump off the shame-train, you can’t wait till it stops, because it never stops it just keeps adding more cars (thoughts). In Christ love there is peace, His peace. There is joy too.
Three Things to Know About Detour’s
Well, it is that time of year in the U.S. for road construction, it’s not a bad thing because our roads need it, but it can be inconvenient. I was on my way to get my hair done and the road I usually take is closed so I had to take a detour. As I was travelling out of my way because of the detour I thought of life and how we plan our destinations and sometimes in life there are detours to our plans. It does not mean you won’t get there it just may be not the road or time you choose. Sometimes roads close and there is not a detour sign, so you must make a detour for yourself. Life is like that too but how you look and think about it does affect the course you take.
take a detour
How we manage those detours in life decides what we do in the meantime. One thing to know about life’s detours or even a construction detour is there usually not convenient. They also can catch us by surprise. And they may add extra time to the travel.
First thing to know about detours is our attitude affects us. You may be one who is not happy when delayed and it affects you, but patience is a good fruit for all of us to walk in. So, I recommend taking a deep breath and following the signs. God’s word tells us in James that when patience has its full work, we become mature and complete. James 1:4 “Let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
The second thing to know about detours is being flexible. When we become rigid in our thinking or plans, we can lose out on the unexpected blessings in the detour of life. It is a good thing to be pliable in the hands of God. Sometimes delays and detours shape our character as we go with the obstacles and make the best of it. Although we don’t like everything changing, change can be a good.
The third thing to know about the detours in life is to trust God in helping you to go through that detour. Some detours are longer than others. Short detours are a little easier to deal with but the longer the detour hang on to the Lord, seek His peace and presence. He knows what is ahead and will bring you through.