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14 January 2012

Weekly Review: The Conundrum of Shame




Sarah Sundin's latest release Blue Skies Tomorrow (Revell, 2011) is available in hard cover large print, paperback and kindle through Amazon and through Christian Book Distributors and others such as Barnes and Noble. 

Sarah Sundin's interview earlier in the week touched on shame and its consequences.  While the spirit may convict us of wrong doing we know from God's Word that once we have confessed our sins He forgives us. It is the enemy who comes after us with taunts and accusations - him and his minions.  When someone waves a forgiven offense in front of your face, turn to your Father and He'll help remove the stench.  Recollection or memory of wrong doing is not the same as not forgiving ones' self. When we remember we can might be more aware of stepping into that temptation or situation again.


Here is a link to an article about overcoming shame that is written for Christians:
http://www.ruachministries.org/Talks/A_Pilgrim's_Guide_to_Overcoming_Shame.htm


I like the title of Sarah's latest book.  God can give us Blue Skis Tomorrow and we don't need to bring our rain and clouds from yesterdays with us. He gives us a clean slate as far as the east is from the west - we are forgiven.  The enemy will bring his own darts of lightening to throw at us. Let us NOT add to the problem by raining down shame on ourselves! His grace really is sufficient.


How about you?  What have you done to turn your own unforgiveness of yourself over to God? 


GIVEAWAY: Leave a comment for a chance to win this newest release or another of Sarah's books including her upcoming 2012 publication "With Every Letter" now available for pre-order through CBD!


May God bless and heal the hearts and minds of our visitors today!

14 comments:

  1. Thank you, Carrie, for the wonderful post! I believe shame is one of the tools the enemy uses to hinder Christians the most. And with shame comes feelings of unworthiness to even answer the call God has placed upon their lives. I know someone who goes through that struggle constantly.

    I struggled with shame for years, not really from sin, b/c I believed the Lord removed them from me, but b/c of the sin that was perpetrated on me as a child. I grew up thinking it was my fault, but as I stayed in the Word, I found out who I am in Christ, and the shame started dissipating. I like what you said, Carrie, about Blue Skies Tomorrow and leaving the gloomy clouds behind us! That meant alot to me today, b/c that applies to every area of our lives, not just shame.

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  2. Carrie - beautiful post! You summed it up perfectly.

    Diana - you're so right. Shame can be "self-imposed" (from sin) or "other-imposed" (from abuse, addictions in the family, or due to disabilities or looks). Satan uses it all to convince us we're unworthy of God's love and forgiveness, and unworthy to serve the Lord. Praise God, he's wrong and Jesus is right! God often uses the areas of greatest shame in our lives for the BEST service!

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  3. I'm sure that Satan loves to have us submerged in shame to cause fear of exposing our sinful past that God has delivered us from. If we are wallowing in embarrassment, we don't want to share God's redeeming grace. And while it is not necessary to expose every detail of our past to be a testimony, it certainly strengthens our witness to at least acknowledge our sin in some way, so that others can see God's work in our salvation. Praise be to God for His love and grace!

    elainemariecooper(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  4. Interesting post. It is hard to forgive myself of some things. The only way I know to get through that is to pray....and pray.....and pray.

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  5. It usually is easier to forgive others than to forgive ourselves. We must forgive ourselves however so the guilt does not consume us. We have to give it over to God.
    I enjoy Sarah's books and would love to win a copy of Blue Skies Tomorrow.
    Thanks for the opportunity.

    pmk56[at]sbcglobal[dot]net

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  6. WINNER - Marissa Ehresman is our winner this week as chosen by random.org. She has been emailed so she can pick the book she wants to receive in the format she wants. Congrats Marissa!!! Thanks to all of you who have visited with us on Sarah Sundin Week!!!

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  8. Hmm, not sure how I managed to comment under the wrong post! Sorry about that!

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  9. What a wonderful post. And thought provoking. I think that it all boils down to trust. Trusting that God forgives, and having faith that he has. And yes, it is so much easier said than done!

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  10. Yes, FAYE, trusting that His grace really IS sufficient! So true!

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  11. I still struggle to turn my own unforgiveness of myself over to God. Most of my life I felt stupid even when I could do lots of thing because I had so much trouble just passing in school. I was in & out of hospitals and drs offices and caught every germ until I graduated. I was very tiny but when I was 7 I started gaining weight even tho I did not eat that much. When I was 13 dr operated for goiter but instead found I had hashimotoes disease which had destroyed my thyroid gland. 6 days after surgery I was dancing with my cousins. 3 mos later I was skinny and running instead of walking. It was not until about 10 yrs ago that I went on line and found out that our thyroid gland controls our body. This includes the memory, which was why I had so much trouble remembering facts for tests. I kept a diary when I was a preteen till after I married and this was how I remembered things. I still have memory loss and now part of that is from old timers, lol, but I have to write everything down and still forget sometimes. I have been 5 feet tall since I was 11 and am the shortest in my family other than the kids under 11. I still blame myself for not making good grades as my older sister and younger brother did.

    misskallie2000 at yahoo dot com

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  12. I forgot to add I read A Memory Between Us which was awesome and can't wait to read Blue Skies Tomorrow. Sarah, I love your books. Thanks for the opportunity to enter giveaway.

    misskallie2000 at yahoo dot com

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  14. Miss KALLIE, I grew up in the upper peninsula of Michigan where there were few physicians much less specialists at that time. What a miracle that you lived somewhere and had access to a specialist who could do your surgery! I am thinking for that to have struck a child it must have been severe. Praise God you were spared. Perhaps instead of thinking of it as forgiving yourself you could think of it as understanding your child self - a girl with a serious disease that clouded her ability to concentrate and remember?

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