“Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.”
Hebrews 2:11

Last week I wrote about a foray I took into the literature on my bookshelves related to shame.  The topic remains at the forefront of my mind as I wake up each day, wrestling with losses and lapses in my life.  My friend Wendy dipped into her notes from Bible Study Fellowship since then, and this passage and its notes greeted her, and she forwarded it to me.

“Do you ever feel guilty or ashamed? Have you not lived up to your own expectations or those of someone else? Hebrews 2:11 says that the perfect Son of God who died for you is not ashamed of you; rather, He considers you part of His own family.”

It is by our bond with Christ, through which we have become His kin, that we are released from shame.  We are given a release from shame simply because His blood has become our blood.  His holiness has been given to us because we have joined His family.  His Father is our Father- and He is the Father who loves His children, who runs to meet the Prodigal, who lets the One die that all might find a home and a heart in Him.  He is the Father who blesses and recovers.

Wendy’s note reminds me that in my moments of felt failure and disgrace, the reality behind the discomfort is that I have a loving brother who will not reject me, and a loving father who will not disown me.  He delights in helping us recover our lives- not in condemning us (Romans 5:1).