The LIGHT Eclipser

In the last blog I ask these questions.  What blocks us from joyfully wanting to pursue the LIGHT and TRUTH?  Why is it so hard to take in the experience the Samaritan woman had with Jesus?  Why does TRUTH scare us so badly?  

There is a lethal LIGHT eclipser, a shrouding of the self that protects us from the LIGHT.  It is subtle, difficult to detect by its very nature.  There is no one living who has not been assaulted by it.  Yet it is rarely talked about.  Its as if we have to detect it by its symptoms.  Here are some of the “light eclipser’s” symptoms:  drooping shoulders and head, blushing, wanting to disappear, hopelessness, anger-rage, helplessness, diverting of the eyes, self-blame and addiction.

Shame is at the core of all these symptoms.  It can produce harm in a stealthy, often gradual manner.  Shame erodes the sense of self and facilitates disintegration (being Spirit-filled).  It is the archenemy of mental health and spiritual maturity.  It squeezes the life out of a person like a 20 ft. anaconda.

Brene Brown, a shame researcher, says “I define shame as the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging – something we’ve experienced, done, or failed to do makes us unworthy of connection.” The word “flawed” grabbed me.  I can feel it in my stomach and shoulders.  It stirs emotions of anxiety and fear in me.  All of this by just reading the word flawed.  Just note:  shame is embedded in the body first then the emotions then the thinking, in that order.  “Unworthy” can tap me in a similar way as flawed.  Its like empties me of hope and creates a sense of helplessness.  Bad stuff!  How do shame and its definition impact you?

Brene goes on to say that we must learn to identify the language of shame, to become familiar with its voice.  Shame may sound like this:  “You know you are not good enough.”  “You are so ugly.”  “You are not as smart as your friends.”  “You’ll never fit in.”  “You don’t deserve a good life.”  “You better try harder.”  “You are a loser.”  I can list these because I’m way to familiar with shame’s voice.  It’s a first step to disarm and detach from shame.

So how does this information on shame land with you?  Is it making sense?  I hope so.  In the next blog I’ll continue exploring how shame disrupts our pursuit of unity in the self and in relationship with others and what we can do to become more shame-resilent.