The Sweet Smell of Perfume and the Stench of Shame

The other day I was thinking about my career, I haven't been driven to move forward and the main reason is because I never thought I could. I had a major break through and got excited to step things up, but the next thing that came was another familiar feeling...shame.

The dictionary definition of shame is this; a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior.

How many times have you felt this? For me, it's been many. I was humiliated by foolishly thinking I didn't have what it takes. Shame has kept me in a place of "stuck" with my shoulders slumped and my head down, I walk around with shame filled up to my eyeballs!

This got me thinking about Mary, There was just something about Mary. No, not that Mary. I'm talking about the woman who defied all rules of culture to show her devotion to Jesus. She knew He was special and different, she didn't care what people thought of her, and she only had her eyes on what she knew was true. She was deeply moved by who He was and poured expensive perfume over Jesus' feet to show Him where her heart was. She was devoted; her eyes were looking upward and forward. She didn't wait to do this until Jesus was alone, no she did this in front of a room full of men who had just eaten a big meal, their bellies were full and so was their pride. She didn't have to defend herself when the men ridiculed her actions, instead she let Jesus defend her cause. She was a risk taker. Mary wasn't ashamed, even when the men tried to shame her. Where did Mary's courage and strength come from? I think that's something we all need to tap into.

Shame is just one aspect of her story and mine, but it's a big downer in life when we let it run amuck. So think about it.

-Do you let shame creep in and dictate your life?

-Is there hope for this area in your soul?

-How do you move forward and learn from shame?

I would love to hear from you, please leave me a comment.