Liturgical Flow:: The Curry Gull and Shame

One of the most destructive aspects of shame is it's baked-in certainty.

Shame can feel like a really squishy and uncertain emotion, but it has such a predictable outcome for every person who runs across it. 

Some aspect of your being isn't enough.

You don't have enough intelligence. 
You don't have enough training. 
You don't have enough patience. 
You don't have enough love. 
You don't have enough discipline. 
You don't have enough physical strength. 

Most of us structure our lives in such a way that we never have to face the areas of our lives that we don't feel "enough" in. 

We don't speak or sing in public. 
We don't do games. 
We don't engage in conversations outside of our area of expertise. 
We don't speak up in our area of expertise in case we're exposed for not being expert "enough". 

"Enough" is a myth. And when shame enters the picture "enough" always moves just out of reach to expose us for what we don't have. 

So what if we heard the voice of God celebrating what we are instead of what we aren't? What if we felt a swell of joy for the way our brains, bodies and souls did operate when we faced the areas we don't thrive in? 

The hope in acknowledging and releasing that repetitive voice of shame pointing to our "not enough-ness" is that we can enjoy and celebrate what is. On the other side of everything you're not is something that you are.

Your unique mix of skills, gift, insights and perspectives is desperately needed in this world and facing our shame can help allow that awesomeness flow more freely. To let the voice of shame paralyze those amazing gifts would be like a fish not swimming because it couldn't walk around on the land.