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Shame can take on many forms. It hides in the shadows of the most successful, confident, and high-achieving woman who struggles with balancing her work and children, as well as in the heart of the broken, abused and downtrodden woman who’s been told that she’ll never amount to anything. Shame hides in plain sight.
Bible Gateway interviewed Christine Caine (@ChristineCaine) about her book, Unashamed: Drop the Baggage, Pick up Your Freedom, Fulfill Your Destiny (Zondervan, 2016).
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What is the difference between “guilt” and “shame”?
Christine Caine: Guilt and shame seem similar in meaning, but there is a significant difference. I put it this way: Guilt is about my do. Shame is about my who. I think the Genesis story has become clearer to me than ever when it comes to this topic.
While Adam and Eve were flailing around in Genesis 3:9–13 with words of shame, hiding, fear, and blame, God goes straight to the heart of the real issue—their guilt. He begins his conversation with them by addressing their willful disobedience to his command. “Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” And their response? In their effort to deflect guilt, they blame one another and the serpent.
This is a critical point. God wants them to understand and take responsibility for their actions. But because shame has taken hold, (and impacted who they see themselves as), their broken response is to hide from the God who made them, ashamed of who they are.
Once guilt is acknowledged in the commission of a sin, can’t shame be a healthy reaction to demonstrate remorse and the beginning of restoration?
Christine Caine: I believe that shame is never a good thing. Just like Adam and Eve, our shame makes us hide from God and each other, rather than running to God to deal with our guilt.
You see, feeling guilt after we’ve disobeyed God is not a broken response but a healthy one. Sin is bad, but guilt serves as an internal alarm; a signal to us that we need to not only turn away from our sinful disobedience, but also assume accountability for it.
We need to take responsibility for the wrong actions we do and run toward God, not away from him. Jesus paid for our guilt on the cross. He provided a way out—he provided repentance and salvation. We need to say, “What I did was wrong. I’m sorry, Lord—please forgive me.” Saying that may be painful, but it’s an important first step to getting your life back in order and restoring your relationship with God. He has provided the way to repair the damage those sins have done in our hearts and lives.
What are some of the most common sources and hidden consequences of unhealthy shame?
Christine Caine: In our shame, we fear. We hide. We make excuses for ourselves and blame others—all of the things Adam and Eve did. And in our brokenness, sometimes all of those things are easier for us than admitting our guilt, even to ourselves.
What a crafty enemy we have. He knows that if he can cause us to hide ourselves—who God made us to be—that it also causes us to lose sight of our identity in God as his image-bearers (Genesis 1:27). Then, because our view of ourselves has been diminished, we shrink from stepping into the destiny God created for us. That’s a very effective strategy. Satan started using shame that day with Adam and Eve and he continues to use it to this day.
How do you encounter shame the world over in The A21 Campaign, your global anti-human trafficking organization?
Christine Caine: As you would suspect, most of the women we work with through A21 were tricked, kidnapped, or sold into sexual slavery. They have endured far more than physical captivity. They have been debased and degraded, humiliated beyond words, beaten into submission, and forced to endure heinous acts. By the time they step across the threshold of an A21 home, the slavery they carry with them extends far beyond bolts on doors. It has broken their hearts. It has fractured their souls and left invisible wounds beyond our knowing. It has penetrated their minds. Freedom from such internal slavery is far harder to win than physical freedom. They’re held captive by shame at its very worst.
What Bible passages do you encourage women to read to break free from shame?
Christine Caine: One Bible passage I would encourage women to read is Psalm 139:4 as this Scripture speaks directly to our “who.” It says, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
To me this Scripture is so powerful because it does not say, “You are fundamentally flawed and worthless”—which is the message of shame. It says you are fearfully and wonderfully made!
Another great Scripture is Genesis 1:27, as it says we are the image-bearer of God! Yes, our behavior and the behavior of others will fall short of God’s standard. But that wrong behavior does not change our value or our worth.
Bio: Christine Caine is an Australian-born, Greek-blooded lover of Jesus, activist, international speaker, and author of several books, including Undaunted: Daring to Do What God Calls You to Do and Unstoppable: Running the Race You Were Born To Win. Her primary passion is to make Jesus’ last command her first priority by giving her all to see the lost saved and to build the local church—globally. Christine also has a passion for justice, and together with her husband, founded the anti-human trafficking organization, The A21 Campaign (@A21). In 2015, they also founded Propel Women (@PropelWomen), an organization designed to honor the calling of every woman, empower her to lead, equip her for success, and develop a sense of God-given purpose. Powered by hot, extra-dry, skinny, cappuccinos, Christine is a lover of words who speaks too fast, talks too much, and also writes them down. Christine and their family make their home in Southern California, USA.
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