The Soul of Shame: Retelling the Stories We Believe About Ourselves

by Curt Thompson

The fingerprints of God’s intention cover every square inch of our experience. We thirst for deep connection in our families, churches and yes in our workplaces. We deeply desire, even if we are not conscious of it, to be able to explore new things without worrying about making mistakes. We want to walk into a room without the anxiety of not being attractive, interesting or funny enough. We want to go to school and learn because we yearn for discovery, not because we worry we won’t get into the best college, yet another blot on my record that reminds me I am not enough. We want to parent our children in ways that provide opportunity for growth without the understated, let alone blatant, message that they are not meeting our expectations. We want to tackle meaningful, hard conversations in our communities of faith about human origins or sexuality or economics without bracing against the specter of accusation. We long for our politicians to govern with curiosity, justice and mercy, rather than being governed by the fear of the shaming vulnerability of losing power. We long for people groups that have historically known nothing but enmity to peacefully create space for being known and leave the nuclear weapon of contempt outside the conversation.