looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. – Hebrews 12:2
Where do runners put the tired?
In a long distance race, everyone gets tired. The winner is the runner who figures out where to put the tired, figures out how to store it away until after the race is over. Sure, he’s tired. Everyone is. That’s not the point. The point is to run.
If isn’t embarrassing, you’re not doing it right…OtR
Hebrews 12 talks about running the race set before us. And a key part of running your own race is knowing what to do with the shame that comes with making that commitment.
Shame from your enemies, your friends, your well-meaning family members, moments of tripping over your own feet and falling right on your nose, those words your primary school teacher said to you when you were 10 years old…
Shame is a vital component of every act of brilliance. Shame, embarrassment, vulnerability…shame shows up in some form when you’re about to do your best work so far.
So, where do you put it? How do you manage shame?
Most people don’t. Instead they try to avoid it and only take actions which don’t trigger feelings of shame. And the result, ironically, is a life that they are ashamed of, full of regrets and ‘if onlys’.
Others try to negotiate with it, compromise with it, and find a way to peacefully coexist with it. An emotional detente with the feeling of embarrassment, vulnerability and shame.
Jesus did neither.
Instead, He kept His eye on the end goal…despising the shame.
καταφρονέω kataphronéō, kat-af-ron-eh’-o; to contemn, despise, disdain, think little or nothing of
He wasn’t putting on an act. This was what He honestly believed about the shame that accompanied Him on His earthly assignment.
Shame? Fugghedaboutit.
Easy to say, simple to do…as long as you are willing to pay the price of making this emotional shift in the way you have been regarding shame.
Stop looking at the shame, and fix your eyes on the joy set before you.