Life is filled with many wonderful blessings. Being able to have friends and family with whom we can share our joys and successes is one of the truly special blessings of life. We are also blessed with having a Christian family with whom we can celebrate the great things of life. Being a part of the church family provides us with people to share in our lives in the good times but also in the difficult times. We need each other. We need to encouragement and support during tough times. We need the prayers and tears during rough times. We need a shoulder to cry on when we are hurting. As brethren who walk in the light as He is in the light, we share in fellowship with one another and with God (1 John 1:5-9).
It goes without saying that we all make mistakes (Rom. 3:10,23). We stumble and fall and end up with the bruises, cuts and scrapes to prove our humanity. When we have behaved in such a way that is a sin against God and our fellow men, it brings with it heartache and pain. It often brings with it feelings of embarrassment and shame. We feel like we have let down those who we care about. As a result, we may have the desire to run and hide from our mistakes or our responsibilities. We may feel like avoiding the people closest to us. We may want to abandon our friends, family and our church family. Running will not solve any problems. We must stand strong.
Of course when we are confronted with sin in our lives, we must respond as David did in the face of Nathan’s charge, “You are the man,” saying “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Sam. 12:7-13). Our first obligation is to make things right with God. We must repent of our sins knowing that God is merciful and just and will cleanse us from our sins (1 John 1:7-9). We can seek the prayers of the church. We can seek the help and support of those who love us and what the best from us. Our first step in overcoming the feeling of embarrassment is repentance.
There are examples in Scripture of those who have run from their problems and responsibilities, such as Jonah. One example of embarrassment that we can point to in the New Testament is the denial of Christ by the apostle Peter. After denying the Lord three times on the night of the arrest and trial of Jesus, Peter heard the rooster crow, just as Jesus had prophesied. Peter remembered those words and it dawned on him what he had done. “So he went out and wept bitterly” (Matt. 26:75).
While Peter felt the pain of his denial and the embarrassment at his own weakness, he did not allow his mistake to keep him from being with the only people who could really understand what he was going through. When we stumble and fall, the temptation may be to run, but what we really need is our brethren who can understand us and help us. Too many times when someone has made a mistake, they leave a congregation, family or friends in their embarrassment, when it is those closest to you who know how hard the Christian life is, who have made mistakes themselves, who can help us overcome the mistakes and who will welcome us with open arms.
Peter hadn’t gone far. He was with John when Mary Magdalene told them the tomb was empty. The two apostles ran to the tomb to see the evidence for himself (John 20:1ff). Not long after, Peter was with several disciples and they went fishing. The Lord appeared on the bank and when Peter realized who He was, he jumped out of the boat and swam to Jesus (John 21:7). After eating breakfast, Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Him. Jesus made it clear that Peter had a job to do. He was to preach and teach the gospel to save the souls of man (John 21:15-19). Even though Peter had denied the Lord in the courtyard, Jesus now said to him, “Follow Me.”
Just a few days later in Jerusalem, on the first Pentecost after the resurrection, the apostles would preach the gospel. We have recorded for us in the pages of the New Testament Peter’s sermon, as the church was established and about 3,000 souls were saved (Acts 2). Peter was a transformed man. Yes, he had stumbled. Yes, he was probably hurt and embarrassed. But rather than run and hide, rather than avoiding those who really love him, rather than giving up, Peter became a great preacher of the gospel and an example for all.
When we stumble and fall it is painful to those whom we have hurt and it is painful to us as we feel the embarrassment and the agony of letting others down (Cf. Ps. 51). Let us not compound the problem by running away or giving up. Repent of sin and turn to those who can help you: your Christian family.
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