December 22, 2021

                                                     Week Four / Wednesday

Overcoming the Fear of…

Embarrassment

Fear not; you will no longer live in shame.
    Don’t be afraid; there is no more disgrace for you.
You will no longer remember the shame of your youth and the sorrows of widowhood. - Isaiah 54:4

I was 11-years old, nervous, shaking, and preparing to sing "The Little Drummer Boy" for Advent at church. However, I was excited about my song choice because it seemed easy, and I wasn't too worried about messing up with the words. The morning arrived, and it was now my time. I walked onto the stage, grabbed my mic, and the track played. I sang that song, didn't miss a verse, and I “pa-rum pum pum pum’d” all the way to the end. After the service, my brother decided to share a word of encouragement with me, and he said, "you sounded like a girl." Well, you know I did have a very high voice, and "The Little Drummer Boy" did not quite roll off my tongue as pleasant sounding as Johnny Cash, but I gave it my all.

That moment of embarrassment stuck with me. I remember the heating feeling on my face and the warmth in my ears. I was embarrassed because of my voice, not from what my brother said. I knew what he said was true; however, I could do nothing to change my voice.

However, there was something else that carried on through life, and that was shame and embarrassment. I have never found the confidence to lean into my singing or musical giftings. I think a lot of that hinges on the fear of embarrassment or the worry of what others may say.

As Isaiah says, "Fear not, you will no longer live in shame, and you will no longer remember the shame of your youth." Today, I embrace those words. I know I no longer live in the shame of my youth. The same goes for you, too… in whatever embarrassing situation once happened to you. Don't let that slip into shame, or maybe it already has; perhaps it has paralyzed you from living out who God has truly created you to be. However, today is the day you walk in the freedom of Christ, not in fear of embarrassment and shame.

In what ways do you fear embarrassment?                  

 

Read Isaiah 54:4 one more time.

• What does this scripture tell you about God?  

 

• What does this scripture tell you about your fear?

 Prayer for Today:  Lord, thank you for creating me perfectly and wonderfully in your image. Thank you for walking with me through the shameful and embarrassing times in life. Thank you that I am no longer to remember the shame of my youth, for I will not live in those moments. Today, I am free, and I walk in the freedom and forgiveness of Christ. Amen.

 

Written by: Andrew Ervin

Pastoral Staff, NextGen Ministry