Jesus Took Your Shame—Walk in His Freedom

Do you ever feel like a lowly worm—burdened by shame, guilt, or a vague sense of worthlessness? Do you feel as though you are failing, yet you don’t even know exactly how? As if I do not fully accept you just as you are?

If you do, hear this truth: those feelings are not from Me.

Look at how I interact with My children in Scripture. I never tell an actual person that they are simply "bad" or "wrong." Instead, I gently and specifically point out areas where growth is needed. You may call yourself a loser, please don't, but you will never hear anything like that from Me. Instead, I might say, "You know your drinking is starting to affect your relationships with people you love," or "When you compare yourself to Ashley your looking for your worth in the wrong place."

What Heaven Makes From Your Tears

In 2 Corinthians 4:17, I say that your suffering produces a heavenly glory that is exceedingly, abundantly beyond any trouble you face in the present. In heaven I reward you with infinitely more than anything you have lost on this earth. Your suffering here is like ripping off a band-aid — a very short moment in the face of eternity, even though it feels like forever. The true forever is filled with happiness, pleasure, and fulfillment. There are no more tears in heaven, no more pain, no separation from loved ones, no grief. That is what lasts forever.

And notice this: your suffering produces — achieves — heavenly treasure, all those good things I just mentioned and more. It achieves exceedingly, abundantly more reward than the suffering you experience. The pain itself is working to produce heavenly rewards. You don’t have to have a good attitude, be grateful, or escape the trial. The suffering does the work all by itself.

One of these things is not like the others

 

When owls lay eggs they don’t hatch into cats. In the same way, cucumber seeds never produce onions, celery, or corn on the cob. Tulip bulbs do not turn into zinnias, evergreen trees, or forget-me-nots. In nature, you will always reap what you have sown because seeds can only reproduce according to their genetic code (Genesis 1:11-12, 24 NLT).

However, surprisingly, there is a beautiful exception to this rule: "Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy" (Psalm 126:5 NIV). If you have cried yourself to sleep countless times and have faced sorrow, depression, disappointment, and sadness, do not give up. Joy is on the way! Your tears are a secret weapon that have nourished the seeds of joy I have planted in the garden of your life. Difficult times and sorrows are the fertile ground where joy and blessings grow. One day soon joy will satisfy your soul.