Shame And Grace

A Proven Path to Move from Shame to Healing If you persistently feel you don't measure up, you are feeling shame—that vague, undefined heaviness that presses on our spirit, dampens our gratitude for the goodness of life, and diminishes our joy. The good news is that shame can be healed. With warmth and wit, Lewis B. Smedes examines why and how we feel shame, and presents a profound, spiritual plan for healing. Step by step, Smedes outlines the road to well-being and the peace that comes from knowing we are accepted by the grace of One whose acceptance of us matters most.

With his customary candor, compassion, and wit, the bestselling author of Forgive and Forget explores the many faces of shame, helping us distinguish between the shame that helps us be our best and the inappropriate shame that crushes our spirit. Drawing on psychology, philosophy, and literature, Smedes presents a roadmap to healing based on grace. "An important book that will offer hope to those who are unhappy with themselves and don't know why".--Madeleine L'Engle.

'An outpouring of truth, wit, and beautiful comedic wisdom.' Katherine Ryan 'Such a funny and interesting book.' Sara Pascoe 'Finally my vagina has a voice!' London Hughes 'Powerful, bold, vulnerable, beautiful, hilarious, universal, unique.' Scarlett Curtis ********************************************** For as long as she can remember, Grace Campbell has been told that she doesn't suit her name. But being graceful is no fun anyway. Growing up in a world of privilege and politics, she had a lot to feel confident about. But she was also a record-breaker when it came to feeling shame. Shame about sex, shame about rejection, shame about mental health. But over time, and with a 24 carat gold dose of female friendship, Grace has turned shame into a defiant sense of self. At only 27, Grace has got a lot to learn about being an adult, but she's already got a lot to share about being a disgrace, and how she came to be utterly, disgustingly, disgracefully proud of it. This is the book every young woman should read, and every young man should worry about.

What is shame and where does it come from? How can we break free and help others held in its vice-like grip? And what is the gospel when shame is the problem? Shame, humiliation and stigma are all around us. Online shaming reminds us of the power of shame, the crisis of self-worth, the weight of judgement and the need for freedom. At the same time, people are becoming less responsive to gospel messages about guilt, morality and sin. If we want to reach those around us and bring healing to their hurts, we need to speak their language: the language of shame. This book helps Christians to introduce 'shame thinking' into their own lives and the lives of those they disciple and evangelize. Above all, it shows how God's freedom can release anyone suffering from the debilitating grip of shame. Introduction: Reputation ruined - what shame looks like 1 Identity, perception, judgement, and the horizontal nature of shame - case study from Genesis 2 Shame examined - what exactly is shame and how does it relate to guilt? Helpful emotion but also profoundly destructive 3 Who do you think you are? Shame in relation to identity: fig leaves and Instagram 4 Shame and the cross - flipping the script; putting shame to shame. How Jesus dealt with shame 5 'Disposing' of the shameful body - hiding, distancing, laughter, etc. Cultural perceptions 6 A new life. The role of the church - a brand new social community for the shamed 7 Putting our house in order before we help others: practical application 8 Reaching out to the shamed: practical application

Inside the hearts of every human on earth, there is a place of silent brokenness. It stays silent because most of us don't know how to talk about it or what to do with it. It is the place that speaks to us of worthlessness and failure, keeping us bound to a narrative that we will never be good enough. This brokenness can be defined by one, singular word: SHAME. This place of shame damages our own hearts and the hearts of those closest to us. It passes down from generation to generation and creates layers of dysfunction in our families and communities. But we are not created to be bound by our shame. We are designed to thrive in the freedom of GRACE. We are created with inherent worth and infinite value. We are intended to reflect the beauty and brilliance of the God who calls us his own. Healing, forgiveness, freedom, empowerment, and hope wait on the other side of our shame. You are invited to the path of grace.

"Drawing on both his professional counseling and personal experience the author shows readers how to nurture God-honoring family relationships free of manipulation, legalism, and shame. The new [second] edition includes discussion questions for groups and for individuals or couples" --Provided by publisher.

The Christian Church in the western world is skilled in ministering grace for guilt. And so we should be. The Christian message is the good news that Jesus Christ, by his sacrifice on the cross, has paid the penalty for our sin and removed our burden of guilt. But what about those who are burdened with shame? Does the Christian Gospel offer anything for shame? Well it turns out that once we begin to ask the right questions we discover that the Bible has a lot to say about shame. We discover that Jesus ministered (and still ministers) grace for shame as well as grace for guilt. And we, as pastors, are invited to participate with God in this broader ministry of grace-grace for shame, as well as grace for guilt. This book explores three questions: What is the nature of shame? What does the Bible have to say about shame? And what are the practical implications of this for the life of the church and for pastoral ministry? If you have ever puzzled over why the Christian Gospel doesn't seem to connect for some people this book may be for you. It turns out that the grace of God is richer and deeper than we, wearing our western-culture spectacles, may have realized. For people who are burdened more by shame than guilt, we have good news also. Are we willing to take a second look at the Scriptures, and consider this forgotten gospel?