Can God Really Help You?

Embarrassment is a word that can cover a multitude of emotions in a multitude of situations. A few days ago we dealt with ‘boredom’ and I explained that this was a relatively new word. The word ‘embarrass’ is also a relatively new word in our vocabulary, although it has been around longer than boredom. It is not a word that is used in the Bible, other than occasionally in one or two different translations.

I personally believe that the word ‘embarrass’ has become a word that we use to describe different reactions in different situations, a kind of all encompassing word if you like, often without really thinking about the root problem. We can embarrass ourselves, we can embarrass other people and we can be embarrassed by other people.

The closest word to embarrassment is shame; this is a word that is used frequently in the Bible. However, we can feel shame without other people being involved, embarrassment usually involves other people.

When we are overweight we often feel embarrassed, or ashamed. I believe that these feelings can only be made sense of, and healed, by taking them to God. If we don’t rely on God, we simply exchange one wrong feeling for another, for example hardening our heart by thinking, ‘Well I don’t care what they think anyway’. When we are in situations where we feel embarrassed or ashamed, we need to discover the root cause and take this to God.

I have listed below some of the common situations in which overweight people find themselves embarrassed. I am sure that there are plenty more that I haven’t thought of.
• Clothes are too tight, resulting in split seams or buttons coming off, in front of other people.
• Being unable to fit into a seat, or taking up too much room.
• People commenting publicly on weight, or weight gain.
• Being weighed in front of other people.
• Being told off for weighing too much.
• Somebody attempting to lift you and being unable to, or needing help.
• Being aware that people are laughing or making fun of you.
• Being aware that your spouse, friends or family are embarrassed by your weight.
• Finding yourself unable to walk or run to keep up with other people.
• Being left out of sports teams, or picked last at school.
• Trying on clothes in a shop and finding that you need a bigger size.
• Meeting people you haven’t seen for a while and knowing that you have put weight on even if they don’t say anything. This usually leads to you making an apologetic comment.
• Seeing photographs of yourself.

These embarrassing situations have several different roots, including:
• Shame that you have eaten too much.
• Regret.
• Feeling that you have let people down.
• Vanity.
• Emotional pain.
• Self obsession.
• Fear of man.
• Condemnation.
• Frustration.
• Disappointment that people don’t like you for who you are as a person.
• Idolatry. 
• Fear (It comes up everywhere!)

We have already dealt with some of the above, you may need to go back and read the pages again. We will deal with idolatry in a few days time. However, as I wrote earlier, I believe that we can only make sense of embarrassment by taking it to God. We have to surrender ourselves to him on this, because if we try to do it on our own, we will simply surrender to another (equally damaging) feeling.

Jesus told us that the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy our lives. Jesus came to give us an abundant life. The enemy wants us to be ashamed and embarrassed because it spoils our enjoyment of life. It does this by spoiling many of the activities we are supposed to enjoy and also by interfering with relationships. Jesus, on the other hand, offers peace and joy.

Shame and embarrassment drive us back to food for comfort.

When Jesus was crucified he took all our shame and embarrassment to the cross with him. Can you imagine how embarrassing it must have been, hanging up there with hardly any clothes on, being mocked by the soldiers? The most embarrassing thing was that it looked like he had completely failed. Here was the supposed Son of God, hanging hopelessly on a cross. The soldiers said to him “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself”. Jesus wasn’t embarrassed though, he was doing it for us, because he loved us.

We owe it to him not to be embarrassed. We have to set the feeling aside. We have to tell ourselves that we are loved and adored by him, whatever our weight. Jesus loves you and is proud of you. He doesn’t care what you weigh; it does not detract one tiny bit from his absolute, all encompassing love. It was the depth of his love for you that enabled him to set aside his own embarrassment to give his life, so that you might have life.

Today

When you find yourself feeling embarrassed over something, stop and think to yourself; “Jesus loves me, he wasn’t embarrassed to die for me and I won’t let embarrassment spoil my day”.

Resolve today to set embarrassment aside.