--GUILT --/ SHAME

--Canyons of shame run deep. Gorges of never-ending guilt. Walls ribboned with the greens and grays of death. Unending echoes of screams. Put your hands over your ears. Splash water on your face. Stop looking over your shoulder. Try as you might to outrun yesterday's tragedies--their tentacles are longer than your hope.

Sometimes your shame is private. Pushed over the edge by an abusive spouse. Seduced by a compromising superior. No one else knows. But you know. And that's enough.

Sometimes it's public. Branded by a divorce you didn't want. Contaminated by a disease you never expected. Marked by a handicap you didn't create. And whether it's actually in their eyes or just in your imagination, you have to deal with it--you are marked: a divorcee, an invalid, an orphan, an AIDS patient.

Whether private or public, shame is always painful. And unless you deal with it, it is permanent. Unless you get help--the dawn will never come.

Take Him with you to your canyon of shame. Invite Christ to journey with you. Let Him stand beside you as you retell the events of the darkest nights of your soul.

And then listen. Listen carefully. He's speaking.

-"I don't judge you guilty."
And watch. Watch carefully. He's writing. He's leaving a message. Not in the sand, but on a Cross.
Not with His hand, cross but with His blood.
His message has two words: 'Not Guilty.'
--By: Max Lucado

[**In what area of life do you need to experience healing from shame?
**In what unhealthy ways do some people cope with shame?
**How can we find comfort when we are dealing with shame in our lives?
Take all your burdens to the Lord. Jesus said, "Come unto Me all you that are weary and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of Me. You will find rest for your souls."// Jesus doesn't just have the answer, my friend, He is the answer! He will give you forgiveness and eternal life. Come to the Master, today. He loves you so very much. He's waiting for you to open the door and invite Him into your life. 'Come, Now is the Time to Worship']
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