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Nothing can throw us into a pit of discouragement any deeper than shame. For many people, prolonged battles against humiliation can lead to protracted seasons of defeat. In fact, this emotional barrier of shame can become the sole obstacle to recovery. We'll discover today that shame serves little purpose unless we relinquish our failures to the only One who can heal.

In our shame-prone culture, parents, bosses, teachers, and many pastors consciously or subconsciously urge people to connect their significance to what they produce. This prompts blame and favoritism, resulting in fear of risk and a total lack of innovation. How much better to respect and honor others - even when they fail to measure up to expectations or blow it big time!

Shame. It's message is dreadfully debilitating and packed with pain. The corrosive effect it has on how we love, parent, work, and lead (to name only a few) is enormous. As one authority on the subject has written, "Shame keeps us small, resentful, and afraid, which is the way many choose to live their lives." Shame is, primarily, the fear of disconnection.

Shallowness is not attractive. This is true, not so much in children, but in the lives of adults who ought to know better. Many are satisfied to skate along, hitting the high spots, seldom deliberately pausing to probe deeper . . . think deeper. If you realize you're not as deep a person as you would like to be, you can make decisions that will change the course of your life.