At times, most of us would have felt that there is something not quite right with our soul. Our life may be meandering along without too many bumps on the road. We may be content with how our life is panning out. Our relationships may be stable, and our physical health is relatively good. And yet the rich and satisfying life that could potentially be ours seems to illude us. We may sense that there could be so much more to life than what we are currently experiencing. But we don't quite know what to do or how to get there.
As a result of past experiences of rejection and abandonment, we may crave acceptance and significance from our relationships and our work and yet we find the craving to never be satisfied. We may attempt to fill that void in our souls through other means such as status and outward achievements. But those too never seem to be able to deliver what they promise.
When we remain disconnected from our true selves, we will never be able to identify the root cause of our shame. We may never even be aware that shame has pervaded our souls. As our eyes begin to see ourselves for who we really are, it requires humility and courage to step out into the light and cultivate intimacy with our Creator who can begin to cleanse us of the deep pain that shame has caused us.
Healing from shame is never complete without immersing ourselves in genuinely caring and compassionate communities who are willing to love and accept us just as we are. Finding true acceptance and significance in such communities go a long way towards uprooting the pervasiveness nature of shame and reinstating the God-given value, dignity and worth we possess.