Shame, Shame, Shame (Part 2)

Shame, Shame, Shame (Part 2)

Shame was not a natural emotion given to mankind by his Creator.  God created Adam and Eve as innocent beings and placed them in the perfect environment of the Garden of Eden.  They had abundant provision and access to all the trees and fruits of the garden except one.  Adam and Eve were warned not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for if they did they would die.  The couple did not heed this admonition and their transgression resulted in a continuing cycle of sin being passed down through subsequent ages.

Man's first transgression stemmed from a desire to be other than God created us, or to be more than human.  It is in the context of this original sin that men first encountered shame.  When Adam and Eve were created, they were both naked and were not ashamed according to Genesis 2:25, but after they ate the forbidden fruit Genesis 3:7 says this:

"...the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings."

That evening when God came for His regular time of fellowship with the couple Genesis 3:8-11 says:

"And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the  Lord God among the trees of the garden.  Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?"  So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself."  And He said, "Who told you that you were naked...?"  
This record confirms what psychologists now recognize, that
"exposure of one’s self lies at the heart of shame.  A shame-based person will guard against exposing his inner self to others, but more significantly, he will guard against exposing himself to himself."

Because of their cowering, hiding, and covering Adam and Eve experienced an emotion that was new to them:  SHAME!

 -They ran, but you cannot outrun the  accusations of shame.

 -They hid, but there is no refuge from shame. 

 -They created a covering of fig leaves,but there is  no man-made covering that will conceal shame.
 

Three basic human relationships were ripped apart through sin, creating the base from which all shame operates:  The relationships of man with God, man with himself, and man with others. Adam and Eve were caught in the swirling spiral of shame because of their disobedience. 

The shame that originated in the Garden of Eden has spiraled down through the centuries much like an uncontrolled disease Its continued revolutions generate a myriad of shame-based reactions which are triggered by words, sounds, feelings, and even tastes and smells.  One noted psychologist wrote:

"The sensory perception is our first and most immediate way of knowing. Every thought we think was first perceived, seen, heard, touched, tasted, or smelled. When shame has become internalized, these images are often triggered and send the shame-based person into shame spirals."  

A word, a smell, the lyrics of a song, and other sensory images can trigger the shame associated with painful memories, resulting in a downward spiral of shame-based thoughts and reactions. 

Here is what the Word of God says in James 1:12-16:

"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:  But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren."