Walking by Faith, Not by Sight
Janet Perez Eckles
I gasped when I read this headline: “Chinese Woman Mistakes Airplane Exit as Bathroom, Deploys Evacuation Slide.”
Her mistake was all over the news. The process to put back the slide in place delayed the flight for hours. Her passport was confiscated and she probably went home with a suitcase filled with embarrassment.
That’s what the world does, relishes in pointing out faux pas. The news emphasizes mis-spoken words, actions and mistakes.
If the adulterous woman scenario took place today, Tweets about her affairs would be all over the News. And details of her shame would be blasted throughout the internet. But they didn’t have cell phones then. Instead, they had rocks to stone her with. And right when they were about to begin, Jesus asked which was without sin. They probably broke out in sweat as they dropped their stones on the ground.
Because of Jesus’ presence, things turned out differently. And since He’s alive now, and powerful, loving, and forgiving as back when He walked on earth, when shame tears our insides, the end is glorious.
Three things He does when we stand facing our shame:
He hopes we stand still, lift our face to see Him and not try to run away.
He states His forgiveness.
He gives the advice for freedom.
“…with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’
‘No one, sir,’ she said.
‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’” (John 8:9b-11)
No matter how much we try, we’ll end up pulling wrong doors as the Chinese woman. Or head down the wrong path, make huge mistakes, or do something that makes us blush just thinking about it. That’s Okay, we can rejoice because Jesus doesn’t condemn, blame or accuse…He simply forgives.
Any shame or regret hiding in your heart today?
Source: How to heal from shame: three truths. | Janet Perez Eckles
Looking for a speaker for your upcoming event? A great speaker makes the difference between a so-so event and one that shines with impact. I invite you to view one of my two-minute videos HERE.
hurtful. Waking from another short dozing session, my mind painted pictures of the consequences of words. One scene was pretty and my hurtful words were flowing up to God leaving my heart joyful. In the other scene Satan was like an NFL running back, ready to receive those words, tuck them firmly under his arm and run for the touchdown, wrecking havoc along the way. Not a pretty scene at all but it did prepare my heart for the morning devotional I read from “Jesus Calling”.
We are all hurting, all struggling in some way. Some of us hide our pain better than others and it is easy to get wrapped up in our struggles, causing us to stop seeing the world beyond our own circumstances. A few months ago I was drowning in my own pain both physical and emotional. I lost two people that I loved dearly and nearly lost a third who, only by the grace of God, made it through a very serious illness. By the end of the month I was exhausted so when a friend asked if I wanted to go to a 
but every song seemed to have been written just for me. Three songs in particular stuck with me, the words jolting me out of the spiritual sleep I’d fallen into during the month of trials: Thrive, Dreamer, and All You Ever Wanted. I went home that night and slept better than I had in weeks.
Old Things R New 