Where does shame come from?

Our mistakes
Other people’s words or actions



Romans 8:28   //
 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

God can step into the places we’d rather forget
Shame was never God’s design for us

Genesis 2:21-25  //
 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man. “At last!” the man exclaimed.“This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.’” This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame.

Shame makes us hide

Genesis 3:6-8  // 
The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. At that moment, their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. 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.

That’s what shame still does today:

You can’t let them see that
You can’t let God see you like this
You can’t let people know what you’ve done


The enemy does his best work with the secret parts of our lives

Genesis 3:9-10  //
 Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”

Because the first step toward healing is honesty

Psalm 32:3-5  // 
When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night, your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.”And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.

Genesis 3:21   // 
And the Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.

God covers what shame exposes

Hebrews 9:22   //
 In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.

The shame we carry, Jesus has already paid for
God can turn your shame into a testimony
He doesn’t waste your shame; He redeems it.

Romans 8:28   // 
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

You see this throughout Scripture:
Moses killed a man: God still used him to lead His people.
Peter denied Jesus: God still used him to build the church
Paul persecuted the church: God used Paul to preach the gospel
Stop hiding & start healing
Bring shame into the light
Let God rewrite the story