"Healthy shame is an internal foghorn warning us that we are headed toward jagged rocks... it's a call to grace and repentance... Steven Tracy, Mending the Soul
"The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame."... Genesis 2:25
"Shame is a very heavy feeling. It is a feeling that we do not measure up and maybe never will measure up to the sorts of persons we are meant to be. The feeling, when we are conscious of it, gives us a vague disgust with ourselves, which in turn feels like a hunk of lead on our hearts. Shame is like an invisible load that weighs our spirits down and crushes out our joy. It is a lingering sorrow." Louis Smedes, Shame and Grace
"Toxic shame distorts reality by going beyond convincing us that we've done bad things that need to be forgiven. It whispers to us that we are not only bad... but unforgiveable and distorts our sin, our worth and God's grace so that we feel we can do nothing but hide in the shadows." Steven Tracy, Mending the Soul
John 4:1-26