Who Told You That? (Part Three)
The Love That Calls You Out Of Hiding
“…that the love You have for Me may be in them…” — John 17:26
Shame always tells us to hide.
Hide your weakness.
Hide your failure.
Hide the parts of yourself you fear may no longer be lovable if fully seen.
That has been the instinct of humanity since the garden.
But love moves in the opposite direction.
Love calls people out of hiding.
What Jesus Came To Reveal
One of the most beautiful things about Jesus is the kind of people He moved toward.
The woman caught in adultery.
The woman with the issue of blood.
Peter after his denial.
Jesus never minimized sin, but neither did He reduce people to it.
He saw deeper.
Through the shame.
Through the fear.
Through the hiding.
And people who had spent years shrinking back from love suddenly found themselves moving toward Him instead.
The Prayer That Changes Everything
Near the end of His earthly life, Jesus prays something astonishing:
“That the love You have for Me may be in them.” John 17:26
The same love.
Not a lesser version.
Not tolerated affection.
The very love the Father has for the Son.
That is the love shame has always tried to make us doubt.
Healing From Shame
Shame loses its power when love becomes more believable than accusation.
Not love as an idea.
Love received.
Love trusted.
Because people do not come out of hiding by being shamed harder.
They come out of hiding when they discover they are still deeply loved there.
What The Father Has Always Wanted
Abba Father still walks toward people hiding among the trees.
Still calling their names.
Still moving toward them in love.
Not to expose them for rejection.
But to bring them home again.
Because the final word over your life was never shame.
It is beloved.
Reflection
Where do I still feel tempted to hide?
What would it look like to believe I am deeply loved even there?
How might His love change the way I see myself and others?
Prayer