Relieving my Shame Through Love

Have you guys ever had a secret that you never wanted to tell anyone because it was so shameful? I think most of us dealt with a secret we were or are afraid to share because of what other people might think.

A few weeks ago our Youth Pastor Abe Park shared a story in the bible about a woman who bore a shame that was unaccepted by others and it was so bad that she had to scream out “Unclean! Unclean! ” everywhere she went.  She was considered unclean because she bled continuously for many years.  Back then women were considered ceremonially unclean for seven days during their menstrual cycle but this lady bled continuously so people considered her unclean all the time.  This brought a lot of embarrassment to her and her family.  They tried everything but nothing worked.  Although it was a very dark time for her, she didn’t lose faith.

This woman knew who Jesus was and she had great faith in all that He did.  So, one day she heard that He was going to be in town so went to see him to seek for help.  She saw Jesus walking through the crowds and there were so many people she was barely able to see Him.  As Jesus walked by, she reached out to touch a piece of His cloak hoping that a touch of His glory would heal her in anyway.  Then as soon as she did, she instantly stopped bleeding.  You can listen to the sermon on this link. The sermon is called Faith & Healing.

Then our Pastor shared a personal testimony of something he struggled with for many years.  He had a problem with wetting his bed for a very long time.  His parents were so ashamed of his issue that they didn’t want anyone to know.  He said they tried giving him Chinese medicine, prayed for him, and even restricted him from drinking water after 6pm but nothing worked.  He was so frustrated and embarrassed. Then one day he went to Korea to visit his grandma who is a strong women with great faith and love.  Once again he woke up in the middle of the night because of his accident and he was so scared that his grandma would find out.  So he tried to cover it up but his grandma walked in and found out before he could.  He thought she would get tremendously upset but instead she opened her arms widely and gave him the biggest hug.  She loved on him instead of scolding him.   He said after that night he was cured. It was love that cured him. 

A similar incident happened about a month ago when I told Chris a secret I’ve been holding inside.   I didn’t know how to bring it up because I wasn’t sure how he was going to react. I didn’t want him to get upset or push me away.  Although I was scared to tell him I knew I had too because it was going to get in the way of our marriage. So, I told him and when I did instead of being disappointed he gave me a big smile and told me it was okay.  He was very understanding and helped me to understand why I was thinking such things.  It was his love that over powered the secret that could have hurt our relationship.

Sometimes we just need to listen and let them know that it’s going to be okay.  We can help pray for them and most importantly just love them.