If it isn’t traumatic enough to experience abuse or being raped, on top of this atrocity is the shame that so many victims carry for years, if not a lifetime.
Shame tells a horrible lie that just maybe my abuse was my fault. It whispers other lies like, if I tell someone I will be no longer be accepted, no one will want to marry me, I am damaged goods, I can’t speak up or I will destroy my relationships. We don’t want to bring shame to our families so we stay silent & we don’t fight for justice. Maybe you’re a parent or a family member who has covered up the abuse just to keep peace. Unfortunately, you are part of the problem.
Jesus never hid abuse or shame; in fact He placed it right in the centre of His family. In Matthew 1 we read the family tree of Jesus. 44 men and 5 women. Bathsheba, Tamar, Ruth, Rahab & Mary. What did each of these women have in common?? SHAME! Rape, teen pregnancy, incest, & prostitution make up these women’s stories. Did Jesus hide them away so no one would ever know the shame they had brought to society or their families?? No WAY?? He placed them right in the middle of His family. These women were part of His lineage. He was not ashamed of them for one minute. In fact He turned their pain and mess into beautiful redemption stories.
As long as we hide, cover up and allow shame to rule in our lives, Jesus can’t redeem our pain. But once it’s brought into the light, something beautiful begins to take place. Yes it could be very hard and messy in the beginning, but the end result brings restoration, hope and healing, not just to your life, but to your family and community.
We must disrupt shame.