Until I Met You
Dear Flinders Community,
I recently prepared a devotion for a morning staff meeting which further explored our 2023 theme, “The Best Version of Me.” I am pleased to share some of my thoughts with the broader Flinders community in the latest edition of the newsletter
“The Best Version of Me” can be explored from many angles. What constitutes our best? Is it our body, our character, our achievements or our generosity? I am sure there are many other options. The scriptures teach that the best version of ourselves is when we love God and love our neighbour the best we can. The scriptures also teach that when we mould ourselves to the likeness of Christ, it is there that we find the best version of ourselves.
Another interesting question to ponder is, what are those things that hold us back from becoming or, at the very least, striving to become the best version of ourselves? Again, there are many areas to explore. The one I want to focus on in this reflection is the concept of shame.
When we look at the first pages of scripture, a dramatic change happened to Adam and Eve. When creation was experiencing perfection, Adam and Eve felt no shame (Gen 2:25). In the next chapter, they were hiding from God because they were afraid. It would be fair to assume that the first evidence of the fall of humanity was to move to a position of shame, fear and hiding from God.
Shame doesn’t get discussed a lot today. However, reflecting upon the concept of shame (as opposed to false guilt) is important because it can be a major anchor on our ability to grow as people.
I asked the following questions to the Carrum Downs staff:
Am I carrying around shame?
How is it holding me back?
Is shame holding me back from being the best version of myself?
Am I living freely and easily in the Grace of God?
If the answer is yes to any of these questions, then it is likely we are hiding from God in some form. The further we recoil from God, the further we are away from fulfilling our potential.
So what do we need to do with shame? The answer is actually quite simple. We need to embrace the power of the Gospel. Jesus died to take away our shame, to set us free from all we have done wrong. A theological word that is associated with the Gospel is JUSTIFICATION. To help explain this term we need to play with the word slightly. Once we have confessed our sins and accepted the free forgiveness offered by Jesus, God does not see our sins. It is JUST AS IF THEY NEVER HAPPENED.
If God cannot see our sins then there is no reason to feel shame. I often think forgiving ourselves is harder than accepting God’s forgiveness. However, if we take our faith seriously, we are obligated to forgive ourselves in response to God’s incredible act of love on the cross.
I attend Gateway Church in Seaford and one of the favourite songs we sing is called Glorious Day. The lyrics speak about shame being a weight that entombs us. The lyrics state, “I was breathing but not alive, all my sins I tried to hide….until I met you!”
I have no doubt that many in our community are carrying a burden, feeling trapped, hiding and not experiencing real life. I say this without any judgement. My sincere prayer is that if those lyrics remind you of your current situation and shed a light on why you are a long way from the best version of you, I pray that there will a moment of silent reflection where you seek God’s forgiveness and experience freedom and renewal to become everything God intended you to be.
Take a moment to listen to Glorious Day here
Andrew Watts
Head of Campus