It doesn’t usually yell at us. It whispers. “You should be further by now.” “If they really knew you, they’d leave.” “Don’t try again—you’ll just fail.” And slowly, shame begins to drive our decisions. We avoid growth, not because we lack potential—but because we’re afraid of being exposed. We stay silent when we should speak. We settle when we were created for more. Here’s something important: 👉 Shame survives in secrecy, but loses power when brought into the light. One practical shift that helps break its grip: Instead of asking, “What’s wrong with me?” Ask, “What happened to me—and what story did I start believing because of it?” Shame isn’t your identity. It’s a learned response. And what’s learned can be unlearned. You weren’t created just to cope, survive, or manage pain. You were created to live free, fully alive, and aligned with purpose. If you feel that quiet nudge inside you saying, “There has to be more than this,” You’re right. This space exists to help you step out of hiding and into who you were always meant to become. Freedom isn’t far away—it starts with awareness, truth, and one courageous next step. Stay close. Your story isn’t finished.

Judges 11:27 ESV “I therefore have not sinned against you, and you do me wrong by making war on me. The Lord, the judge, decide this day between the people of Israel and the people of Ammon.” Both parties here feel that they are in the right and are doing what they believe is true based on their context. They are both presenting their cases to one another in this chapter. I believe that most people feel that they are doing the correct thing with majority of their decisions. We have a way of bending the truth to fit our narrative. And if we keep bending the details around us, they will fit what ever point we are trying to make. The question is, what point are we trying to make? If I really need to justify that what I’m doing is good, maybe it isn’t. I am really guilty of believing that I am right all of the time and what I am doing is the best way. I will get frustrated when others are not being what I consider to be ‘efficient’. What if that is not for me to decide? Why would I waste time worrying if everyone else is raising up to a standard that I have created in my head? The verse says the Lord will decide. I pray to remember I am not the judge, so why should I stand in judgment of everyone around me? I can control me, and I should do the best that I can based on my context. I will not be precise in everything that I do, but if I continue to pursue God, then everything will fall in line as it should. I am human and things will not always perfectly fall in line, but if my intentions point towards Him, what I consider to be right or wrong doesn’t matter. Good will sort that out later.

Judges 10:13-14 ESV “Yet you have forsaken me and served other gods; therefore I will save you no more. Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.” The Israelites seem to fall in the same cycle. As the years pass, they get further from the last major miracle and God’s covenant. This causes them to slip into worshiping local gods and there are always harsh consequences. I looked up why the Israelites kept falling into a path that separated them from god and it was pretty relatable to today. They were assimilating with other cultures and fell into pressures to be more like them. The rules for the local gods were more relaxed, so it was easier to follow those guidelines than that of the covenant. These gods made promises like prosperity and fertility and their practices involved immorality and sensuality (info from the web). Our Lord wants to give us so much, but he also requires a lot. The world around us says that He wants too much and to just join in what is fun around you and all will be happier and more content. But the end result is usually the opposite. If you went to college, think about that first month you were gone and all the rules of living with your parents just changed. Think about all of the things you did to fit in with everyone around you. At that point, your perception of right or wrong was altered because of everything that you watched around you. You don’t want to be ostracized so you will loosen your morals to go with the flow. Little by little, you engage in more activities that create distance from where you started and what you know to be right. After enough time passes, it just becomes a part of you. In all of those activities that I engage in, what happens if I am in crisis? They go on and I find myself stuck. Every sin and comfort that I have run to never breathed life into me. It is always temporary and then fleeting. We may not be worshiping a Pagan god, but there are things in your life that slowly try to take your attention away from the Lord. God told the Israelites to go elsewhere for salvation because they know that in the end, those other things have no real power.

Judges 9:9 ESV “But the olive tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my abundance, by which gods and men are honored, and go hold sway over the trees?” Judges 9:7-15 is a whole parable about fruitfulness versus power. Go check it out. Everyone is blessed with certain gifts. I believe it honors God to develop and share those gifts with those around you. I struggle with understanding if a thought is mine or God’s. If I am feeling lead to pursue something, it is tough to know if that feeling comes from the ability to share the gifts that I have or if I wanted to to do it because it will help me in some way. It is a fine line, because I can do something that looks noble while helping others, but it’s self serving because it makes me feel good to be needed. If that feeling overrides who I am assisting, then maybe my actions are not as good as they appear. I pray to understand my motivations, so that I can better see if I’m serving God’s will or my own. I pray to examine the gifts that I have and learn how to sharpen them to better serve those around me. If I ensure that the soil around my life continues to be taken care of, then the fruit I create will be good for everyone around.

Judges 8:1 NLT “Then the people of Ephraim asked Gideon, “Why have you treated us this way? Why didn’t you send for us when you first went out to fight the Midianites?” And they argued heatedly with Gideon.” Gideon only used 300 men to fight this battle and succeeded with the limited number. Previously, God stated that they had too many people and after the battle would be won, the Israelites would believe that victory was because of their might and not due to God Himself. So, all of the fighters were reduced because the Lord had a plan that would lead to triumph. How much pride does it take to complete a goal and then be angry because I wanted to be there. In high school, we played against a team that was not very good. After 5 minutes in the first quarter, we were winning by over 20 points. The coach told me that I would sit for the rest of the game to let our other players get minutes. I was mad, I kept thinking that I could probably set some sort of scoring record if I could stay in the game. My perspective was only focused on me. We were going to win that game no matter what, but I wanted to pad my stats. And rather than being happy that my teammates are playing, I kept thinking about me. I should have turned into our biggest cheer leader instead of whining like LeBron when he doesn’t get his way. I pray for humility and a clear understanding for the big picture. I need to comprehend that I may not be the one to personally accomplish every goal in my life. Potentially, my role will be to support rather than to achieve. So, the next time I am out of the game, I will champion my other team mates rather than sulk because I am not the one scoring.