Jan 8 2014 - Shame

I have just been reading a short story by John Galsworthy called ‘The First and Last’. The story is set at the beginning of the twentieth century and concerns a notable lawyer, Keith Darrant K.C. One evening, his wastrel brother, Larry, calls round in a state of turmoil to say that he has accidentally killed a man in a fight over a woman and hidden his body under an archway. Keith, concerned to preserve the family name, asks if anyone saw what happened. On learning that they did not, Keith tells his brother to lie low.

Soon, however, a vagabond who stole and pawned items from the body is arrested for the murder. Keith tells his brother not to worry; the evidence is insufficient for the man to be convicted. Nevertheless the man is convicted he expected to be sentenced to hang. Larry is conscience stricken; he will not let an innocent man go to the gallows. He writes a confession, poisons himself and leaves the note beside him for his cleaner to discover. But it is his brother Keith who comes looking for him and, finding him dead, takes the confession away leaving the body to be found by the cleaner.

Keith, the eminent and admired K.C., considers what he should do with the letter. It would save an innocent man from execution but it would also bring shame upon the family and ruin his own reputation as a leading lawyer. In the end, he throws it into the fire.

The story made me ask myself, “What would I do to avoid shame? What do I do to avoid shame?”

We all tend to hide things from others, even those nearest to us, for fear of what they might think of us if only they knew … Most of us want others to think the best of us – there is a little bit of the Pharisee in us all.

One of the most wonderful things about the Gospel is its declaration that God knows everything about us – nothing can be hidden from him – yet he loves us. Indeed, his love is shaped by his knowledge of us for he sent his Son into the world to bear our sin and shame and reconcile us to himself. The Lord Jesus is the Good Shepherd, the one who knows our weakness and infirmity but does not despise us; he tends his sheep, binds up their wounds and carries those who are lame. He does not break the bruised reed or snuff out the smoking wick. He heals and restores.

Rejoicing in the grace of God, we do not need to pretend to be anything other than we are. We cannot hide anything from God and we do not need to hide anything from others. “The one who believes in [the Lord Jesus] will never be put to shame” (Romans 9:33).

We need to remind ourselves continually of these things and to lead shamelessly Christian lives – open to God; open to one another. We have nothing to prove and nothing to lose.

Peter Misselbrook