Bare and Blessed (001)
(001 — The Voice of God is not the voice of shame)
Hello, my name is Mofiyinfoluwa. I am an essayist and a daughter of the Most High God. Sometime last year, I started to feel a nudge in my spirit to start using my gift of words for God’s kingdom. I was so hesitant because a lot of what I write about is emotional, ‘worldy’, relationships, bodies, stuff that I felt was not really spiritual. But the more I prayed about it, the more I realized that God Himself is the source of my gift and if He gave it to me, is it not only right that I give it back to Him? Obedience will not always be comfortable. A lesson God has been teaching me a lot in this season. I prayed on it some more and God showed me that I am free to write and all versions of my work will heal and bless. Hence the birth of this place: Bare and Blessed — a community of Christians who want to share God through their gift of words. We — me and my siblings in faith — will publish pieces twice a month from our collective and we hope they share the love of God to all who read. Thank you for being here and God bless you.
The Voice of God is Not the voice of shame.
I chose the name ‘Bare and Blessed’ because I feel like so many of us hide ourselves from God because we are afraid of being cast away or rejected when we show up as our flawed selves. When all God asks is that we show up in the first place. Naked. Bare before His glorious throne, holding nothing back and it is in that place of nakedness that His love covers us entirely. You see, you do not have to be perfect to be loved by and to worship God. So many of us struggle to believe that deep in our hearts. And it is because of shame. A significant amount of us grew up in shame-based cultures. I can say with a fair degree of certainty that Nigeria is a shame-based culture, especially for women and girls. There is such an emphasis placed on performance and pleasing an outward gaze. I know that I subconsciously picked up along the line that being loved is conditional upon doing well. Upon getting the best grades, being respectful, being ‘good’. And inevitably that’s the attitude I brought to God, as do so many of us. I was constantly trying to earn and work for His love. And failing. Then falling into these spirals of self-loathing and sadness. That is not God’s will for us His children. Let us turn to the word of God in Romans 8: 15 (TPT)
‘And you did not receive the “spirit of religious duty,” leading you back into the fear of never being good enough. But you have received the “Spirit of full acceptance,” enfolding you into the family of God. And you will never feel orphaned, for as he rises up within us, our spirits join him in saying the words of tender affection, “Beloved Father!”
When we receive Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Saviour, we are brought into a dimension of salvation through grace meaning that we are fully accepted and embraced into the family of God. The Passion Translation (my favourite one to read as a writer), says that we did not receive the spirit of religious duty that leads into the fear of never being good enough. And isn’t that so many of us? Constantly afraid that we are not doing enough. That we are not good enough for God and that one day because of our actions or inactions, that God may leave us alone. He will never leave us alone. Because of faith in Christ, The Bible says that we will never feel orphaned. No matter what we are going through. Because of this deep and unyielding acceptance, we come to God as we are. And as we believe in His Son Jesus Christ, as we walk with Him daily, as we lose ourselves in His words and promises, that is when transformation happens. Not by our own power but by the power of The Holy Spirit who lives in us as soon as we accept Christ as Lord. You are loved by God, as you are. I want Bare and Blessed to be a way for people to meet God. To gently and slowly put their hand in His and do life with Him, without pressuring themselves to be perfect.
Three Bible Truths to combat shame
- God is aware of your imperfections and fallibility: In Psalms 78 verse 39 says of the children of Israel that: ‘God knew that they were made of mere dust — frail and fragile’. God knows that we will mess up. There’s no hiding around that fact. One of the most stunning examples of this was Jesus foretelling Peter of his denial of Christ. Of course, Peter thought he was too good to do that, to deny Jesus that he loved so much, but didn’t he still do it? But that’s not the end of the story. After Jesus’ resurrection in John 21 (verses 15–18), He does something so beautiful: Jesus gives Peter a chance to redeem himself by asking him if he loved him, three times, so he could restore himself for his earlier denials. Jesus knows we’re not perfect, and in His infinite mercy, we have a pathway to everlasting restoration through and with him. SO the next time you do something wrong, and shame threatens to swallow you whole, remember Peter, and return to your God with a softened and humble spirit, and watch Him restore you with his mercy.
2. God knows you (like really really knows you) and He loves you anyway. Psalm 139 (please read this if you can) was a scripture that opened up to me just how much God knew me and how pointless it was for me to hide. Verse 3 says that God knows when we lie down and when we stand up. He knows what we want to say before we even open our mouths. There is nowhere to hide from His Spirit and what does shame want you to if not to hide? His thoughts of you are too precious to be numbered. There is no need to hide.
3. God’s love is endless, and it covers us from any shame: One of my favoruite verses in the Bible and one that helps me check my heart is I John 4: 18
There is no fear in love [dread does not exist]. But perfect (complete, full-grown) love drives out fear, because fear involves [the expectation of divine] punishment, so the one who is afraid [of God’s judgment] is not perfected in love [has not grown into a sufficient understanding of God’s love]. (Amplified)
What is shame except fear manifesting? When we err in our walk with God, that immediate fear of doom that manifests through shame, the Bible says that feelings is for those of us who have not grown into a sufficient understanding of God’s love. Deeper than any ocean, higher than any mountain, stronger than any shame, that is the love of God for us. The song Reckless Love always stirs my heart on this particular topic and one of the clearest Biblical representation of God’s love is in the story of the Prodigal Son. I went for a True Christianity program last year and the way the speaker broke down that parable really blessed me. We all know that the Prodigal Son was in the wrong, he messed up, was entitled and wasteful and when he was suffering for his actions, some of us were probably nodding like ehen he deserved it. But as soon as he came to his senses and planned to return to his father, the Bible tells us that even when he was still far away, his father ran to him, to hug and to kiss him. Like the speaker said that day, the son was probably dirty and smelling (he worked in a pig sty duh) and hadn’t showered in a few days but that did not stop his father from running to him and embracing him. So many of us think that when we’re dirty, we are not worthy of being embraced, but that is simply not true. God’s arms are always always waiting for us.
I’ll leave you with this stunning image I got from Cole Arthur Riley (The Black Liturgist on IG) in her book This Here Flesh. She writes that in the garden of Eden, after the Fall, all we know about is the curses and the punishment, but we don’t ever consider that on the day the world started to die, God became a seamstress. (I particularly like this metaphor because it connotes certain tenderness and care). The Bible tells us that God made coverings for Adam and Eve to wear so they could stand unashamed. He used His very own Hands to cover them. God is not invested in your shame. He is deeply invested in your dignity and salvation. That is the God we serve.
Recommendation Corner: I highly recommend for everyone to read Cole Arthur Riley’s This Here Flesh. It opened my eyes on a deeper level to God’s nature in a very real way. Especially for me as a woman, it showed me that God’s heart for me is not to be subordinated or controlled but to be fully surrendered knowing the depth of His love for me. My copy is covered in so many highlights and notes. Highly bigly recommend.
A Yoruba worship tune I’m LOVING right now:
