Don’t Be Ashamed -By Xto Ekpo

Xto Ekpo

Shame has caused many their lives and that of others. Ekwere, the greatest preacher committed suicide because of shame. Many mothers abandon and abort their babies for the sake of shame.

You will tell yourself, I cannot bear the shame that I was caught stealing, fornicating. A whole me! What will people say if they know I did or said this or I were this or that? Because of this you commit suicide or murder (through abortion, assassination etc). I cannot carry the Bible (go out and preach). People will think, say and jeer at me. I cannot go back to the church, my family, the institution etc and beg for forgiveness. I am too ashamed to do that (repent of my sin).

But have you considered great men of faith what trespassed their lives yet they were not ashamed? Think about Peter denying his master with all vigor. The Bible records, ‘then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, ‘I don’t know the man’’ but what did he do when the cock crew? He was ashamed yet was not ashamed. Peter was able to stand before the lawyers and proclaim Christ with boldness – Acts. 4:13. He was not ashamed to stand in front of over 10,000 men and accused them of crucifying Christ: ‘therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.’ – Acts. 2:36 NIV. He was not ashamed of what the people will say, ‘but you denied him three times.’ He was not ashamed to be beaten for his (Christ) name’s sake – Acts. 5:41-42.

You may say, they are ugly, not intelligent, illiterate, deformed, etc. But remember they are your spouse, parents, children, relatives, etc. Why should you be ashamed of your family, nation, faith etc? Why be ashamed to walk, talk, or introduce them to people?
A story is told of a boy who rejected his mother because she had scars over her body. When the mother died he later realized that the mother had those scars while trying to save him when he was a baby from falling into the fire.

I am reminded of Abraham Lincoln. When he became the president of America, his father was a shoemaker. And, naturally, egoistic people were very much offended that a shoemaker’s son should become the president. They were aristocrats, supper rich, who thought that it was their birthright to be in the highest post.

On the first day, as Abraham Lincoln entered to give his presidential inaugural address, just in the middle one man stood up. He was a very rich aristocrat. He said, ‘Mr. Lincoln, you should not forget that your father used to make shoes for my family.’ And the whole Senate laughed; they thought that they have made a fool of Lincoln – that he would be ashamed.

Lincoln looked at the man and said:
Sir, I know that my father used to make shoes in your house for your family, and there will be many others here, because the way he made shoes, nobody else can. He was a creator. His shoes were not just shoes; he poured his soul in it. I want to ask you, have you any complaint? Because I know how to make shoes myself: if you have any complaint I can make another pair of shoes. But I know that nobody has ever complained about my father’s shoes. He was a genius, a great creator and I am proud of my father!

The whole Senate was stuck dumb. They could not understand what kind of man Abraham Lincoln was. He was proud because his father did the job so well that not even a single complaint had been heard. And even though he was the president of America, he was ready to make another pair if there was any complaint.

If God – the Reverend, is not ashamed to own us and to call us his own and sibblingsbr – Heb. 2:11, why then should we be ashamed of our fellow man and the worst ourselves? It is not what people say about us that count but the shame we feel about ourselves. Don’t be ashamed to be given a name or about what people say. Don’t be ashamed to do what you find right to do – do it well – with joy and passion. Don’t be ashamed because you failed yesterday. Don’t be ashamed of the gospel of Christ: ‘for I am not ashamed of the gospel…’ says the worst sinner – Rom. 1:16 ESV. Don’t be ashamed because you did something (whether good or bad) in the past. Don’t be ashamed of who you are!

The solution for not being ashamed is: ‘see, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.’ John. 5:14 ESV
The good news is, ‘… ‘Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.’’ Matt. 9:2 ESV
The joy is God has accepted you: ‘for we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness….’ Heb. 4:15 ESV. And this is what he says: ‘I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more,’ Jer. 23:25 NIV. Therefore, you don’t have to be ashamed.

Xto Ekpo
ekpoxto@gmail.com