I wrote this blog several years ago, but in light of yesterday’s blog, I thought it would be a good one to repeat.

As I grew up and older, I have had many embarrassing experiences. I tell those stories now, and they usually bring a laugh to those listening.
One of them was when I walked into a women’s restroom because I wasn’t paying attention, went into a toilet stall, locked the door, and then heard the sound of high heels clicking on the hard tile floor as a bunch of ladies entered all at once. I wasn’t sure what to do as ladies pulled on the handle of my locked door, looking for an empty stall. I realized that if they looked under the partition, they would see my cowboy boots, and I would be discovered. I could imagine a lady yelling, “Pervert! Pervert!” at the top of her lungs. So I got up on the toilet lid and squatted down, hiding until they had all left, and I managed to sneak out without being discovered. Whoooeeee that was close. As I squatted there on that toilet, I thought of these prayers from Psalms.

Psalms 31:17 Let me not be put to shame, O Lord, for I call upon You;
Psalms 25:2 O my God, in You I trust,
Do not let me be ashamed;
Psalms 71:1 In You, O Lord, I have taken refuge;
Let me never be ashamed.

The human psyche is difficult to understand regarding motives, fears, and the need for personal worth or glory. Many verses in the Bible talk about shame and our fear of it. It appears that shame is the first emotion that Adam and Eve felt after their sin, and we have all felt it ever since. We will do just about anything to escape or prevent the experience of shame in our lives.
Many self-protective methods people have used to guard against shame are wrong and unwise and will often compound shame if discovered. Some of those methods are lying, blaming others, boasting, hiding, anti-social behavior, and running away, literally and figuratively.
One of the consequences of sin in our lives is shame, and freedom from shame is a reward that we receive from God when we seek Him and stay close to Him. God’s protection from shame is an often repeated prayer in the Bible, suggesting that He can prevent shame or cause and allow shame to come into our lives.
A significant blessing God gives us as a reward for right living is that He fills us with glory or self-worth. Very few people have discovered or realized that God gives and takes away a sense of significance as a motive to seek Him, to live for Him, and to obey Him. He does that with experiences that He either brings into our lives or prevents from happening.
It is enlightening to collect all the verses in the Bible on shame and read them all together. Over a dozen prayers to God asking Him to deliver from or protect from shame and embarrassment.
Many of our fears in life aren’t primarily fears of physical pain but fears of psychological pain caused by shame. I think that is why most Christians do very little witnessing for Christ; we fear we will somehow be embarrassed.
The more time we spend with God in the Word and prayer, the more courage we will have, and we will not be intimidated by possible embarrassing experiences