Every personality test I’ve ever taken tells me I tend to be very hard on myself. The voice of my Inner Critic has always been loud and kinda rude. But I just figured it was the Christian thing to put myself down, to judge and critique and criticize myself in the name of “humility.” So I received this internal bullying as a normal way of being.
Until I learned it wasn’t normal. And it certainly wasn’t Christian.
I remember early in our dating relationship when I was berating myself about something and Paul sincerely asked me whether there was anything God was gently inviting me to change or whether it was actually the voice of shame.
It turns out there is a GIANT difference between conviction and condemnation:
Conviction is the voice of the Holy Spirit, nudging you toward confession and change.
Condemnation is the voice of the enemy, bullying you into fear and shame.
In this fourth week of our Conversations series, we meet the woman caught in adultery, her accusers ready to hurl stones. Jesus was also caught, trapped, His accusers ready to strangle Him with the letter of the law. Both Jesus and the woman are facing the shame of condemnation and accusation.
In this familiar story, we sometimes assume the “go and sin no more” conclusion is the point of the story, as if that was Jesus’ only concern. But as we look deeper here, we see how Jesus first creates a sense of safety for the woman, He sees her and soothes her and leads with compassion rather than pointing fingers or judging words.
Jesus must know that shame can’t exist in the context of a secure relationship.
In the above recording, we explore Jesus’ soul-searching question, “Who condemns you?” and engage in a practice to prayerfully discern the difference between conviction and condemnation in our lives. If you struggle with voices of shame from within you or from the “crowds” around you, this will hopefully be a helpful and freeing tool. Listen in!
Lastly, for our fifth Conversation this coming Sunday, we’ll hear Jesus ask another question He’s still asking us, “who do you say that I am.” And we’ll assume Jesus isn’t simply looking for a Sunday school answer here— the right beliefs or doctrines or checklist of the character traits of God. Instead we’ll hear it as an invitation to a deeper friendship with him, rather than a test of what we believe about him.
Hope to see you then.
with peace,
Sarah
P.S. If you haven’t been able to join us live yet, REGISTER HERE to receive the free link for the remaining two Sunday evenings. The discussion at the end is the best part!
In case you missed it…
"What are you seeking?"
What a joy to be with many of you last night as we kicked off our new 6-session Conversations series, based on my forthcoming prayer guide. (Thanks for your excitement! If you missed that announcement and invitation, see my last post here!)
"Why Are You So Afraid?"
Poll: Have you heard the old adage that there are 365 times in Scripture where it says “do not be afraid”? One for every day of the year, they say. So we never need to be afraid, they say.
"What do you want me to do for you?"
If you’ve ever raised toddlers, you know one of the main questions you ask them all day every day is some version of “what do you want?” —to eat, to drink, to do… which stuffed animal, which favorite water bottle, how to cut their PB&J… the list goes on.
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