Shame is something we all go through–yet everyone who experiences it feels isolated and alone. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Dr. Edward T. Welch presents a path that will allow us to halt shame in its tracks in his book Shame Interrupted.
You and I can walk free of shame and the trailing emotions of feeling worthless and rejected. It’s really important that you and I know how to interrupt a shame attack. Because shame leaves us delusional about ourselves, about others, and worst of all, as a result of shame we become delusional about God.
I was subject to an overriding feeling of shame for most of my young adult life until I met Jesus Christ when I was thirty-eight. Accepting him as my Saviour was a blessed relief. But the holiness I needed to lift the shame completely eluded me. In large measure this was due to a common misconception: I thought I had to clean myself up before I could go to God without my shame. That thinking is a dead end–we can do nothing to ascribe worth to ourselves–and the harder we try with accomplishments, relationships, material possessions, etc. the more shame dominates our self-concept. Overcoming shame is one of the biggest barriers to post-abortion healing. Yet if we can learn to apply this lesson to our abortion-related problems we will find ourselves equipped for facing shame wherever it may intrude.
Kim and Ed's conversation on Cradle My Heart is worth a listen for all of us who suffer from a past abortion. Click here to listen to the podcast.
From his bio:
Edward T. Welch, M.Div., Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist and faculty member at the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF). He has counseled for thirty years and is the best-selling author of many books including When People Are Big and God Is Small; Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave; Blame It on the Brain?; Depression: A Stubborn Darkness; Crossroads: A Step-by-Step Guide Away from Addiction; Running Scared: Fear, Worry, and the God of Rest; and When I Am Afraid: A Step-by-Step Guide Away from Fear and Anxiety. He and his wife Sheri have two daughters, two sons-in-law, and four grandchildren.
