Zephaniah 3:5
The LORD within her is righteous,
He does no wrong;
every morning He shows forth His justice,
each dawn He does not fail;
but the unjust knows no shame.
In our therapeutic culture, "shame" is a term treated with the same horror and reproach that blasphemy was once given. One of the most feared charges one can bring against another is of inflicting (gasp!) "shame" rather than encouraging "self-esteem." People who say things like "Teens should be taught to control their sexual urges rather than indulge them" are called advocates of "shame-based" morality. People who suggest that it is wrong to vent one's "rage" in the name of "personal authenticity" are derided for "shaming" the emotionally incontinent bullies who are perpetually shrieking about their "outrage" at this and that. Nonetheless, shame is still a good thing. Mind you, it's not the best thing. Love is the best thing. But, when we have something to be ashamed of, one genuine expression of shame and contrition is worth ten million claims that we are good enough, smart enough, and gosh darn it, people like us. Shame is the forthright admission that we could be doing better and the incarnation of the first step toward doing it. Because God is perfect and won't be changing anytime soon, it is best if we face that fact and change rather than demand God stop "shaming" us with reminders of our sin. He will give us all the help we need to do so. But to get the help we have to stop patting ourselves on the head and hold out our hand.
