Life Plan Devotion #164 [No shame here]

Hi, Everyone.
I am struggling with shame right now. Not because of sin that I've committed, but because of being the unwilling participant in sin. If you've read my profile, you will see that the common denominator in my past was...me. I'm beginning to realize that the shame I feel is at the root of my issues with disliking my body, and why I continue to fight the release of the rest of my excess weight. I know that Jesus does not condemn me. What I don't know is why I continue to condemn myself. That was hard for me to admit, but in the past few weeks, the Lord has dealt with me about the need to be "real," not perfect, in front of you, my OH friends.
Please pray for those having surgery today or recovering from surgery. Let's lift up each other. Have a precious day.

Life Plan Devotion #164 [No shame here]

John 8:3-9 [NLT] "...The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. 'Teacher,' they said to Jesus, '...the law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?'...Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with His finger. They kept demanding an answer, so He stood up again and said, 'All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!' Then He stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one...until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman."

     Shame keeps many of us in hiding. The thought of admitting our sins and revealing our true self to others stirs up feelings of shame and the fear of being publicly exposed. The Savior understands.
     Many think that it was Jesus' writing in the dust that caused the accusers to leave. Perhaps He was listing the secret sins of the Pharisees. If so, it gives a beautiful picture of Jesus as one to whom we can safely expose our secrets. He is not surprised by sin. He takes private note of our wrongs, writing them in the soft dust, not etching them in stone and posting them in public.

What this has to do with weight loss: Many of us carry much shame, when it comes to our weight. We are embarrassed to let anyone know how much weight we have lost and gained, over and over again. It is embarrassing to be a believer, yet deny His lordship in our life with a knife and fork. Jesus loves us, just as we are. He does not condemn or judge us in any area other than whether or not we receive Him as Savior. Everything else is covered by Grace.
     Confide in Jesus. Tell Him your every burden, even the burdens of your weight-loss journey. Lay them down at His feet. Allow Him to carry them. You have carried them for too long.

Today, spend time with the Burden Bearer, knowing that He is there to listen, to love, and to renew. No matter what you have done, you are the Apple of the Father's Eye. Listen to Phyline Yeo singing "Apple of Your Eye."

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=48c5b5eb92cab7 09b489

Blessings,
Mary