Can you believe it’s the middle of August already? This has been a very full and fun summer for me, and I will be sad to see it go. Having said that I’m excited to invite Fall, which is just around the corner. With this summer came a break from blogging. It’s the first long break I’ve taken in over 10 years! I thought about it from time to time, now I’m settling in to write again. Summer mornings I’ve still focused on studying Revelation. I have a feeling I’ll be camped out in that book for a time; it is so full of mystery, glory, and revelation that I find it hard to put down.
Revelation means “The Unveiling”. As I’ve thought more about this I’ve asked myself what the veil is and how does it get removed? How do we even know there is a veil? In 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 it says this: “But the moment one turns to the Lord with an open heart, the veil is lifted and they see. Now, the ‘Lord’ I’m referring to is the Holy Spirit, and wherever he is Lord, there is freedom. We can all draw close to him with the veil removed from our faces. And with no veil we all become like mirrors who brightly reflect the glory of the Lord Jesus. We are being transfigured into his very image as we move from one brighter level of glory to another. And this glorious transfiguration comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” TPT Did you catch that? Wherever he is Lord, there is freedom! When we surrender our finances, there is freedom. When we surrender our children, there is freedom. When we surrender our jobs, there is freedom. When we surrender our thoughts, there is freedom. Etc, etc…. When we are not surrendered, there is a veil that keeps us in a place of blindness. When we succumb to that place, we experience shame, guilt, and legalism. We live in a sin based theology when we shame, guilt, and legalism dominate our lives. We are veiled.
I know what this is like. I spent many years living a sin-based theology. I spent hours of every day “trying” to lift the veil all by myself, and when it didn’t work, I fell back into the vicious cycle of shame, guilt, and legalism. Over and over and over again! There were glimpses of what life could be with the veil lifted, but I did not allow it to stay that way very long. I’d jump back on the shame, guilt and legalistic wheel in an effort to be better, to prove to Jesus that I was worthy, to live a good well-behaved life. I would earn my way off that wheel by own wit and courage. Fortunately, it never worked. God patiently brought me to a place of understanding that He is the only one that can lift the veil and bring vision, and He does it daily through an open-hearted surrender to his love.
So, when that process begins to happen, that is the place we begin to be Rooted in love of Jesus. The more we surrender, the more we see, and the deeper our roots grow. The shame, guilt, and legalistic views we once clung to begin to dissipate, and our roots grow even deeper. The veil that once shielded us from seeing Jesus as he really is or hearing his Spirit guide us, or knowing that our Father is there no matter what lifts away and we begin to live in his reality. Everything looks different! “Then, by constantly using your faith, the life of Christ will be released deep inside you, and the resting place of his love will become the very source and root of your life.” Ephesians 3:17 TPT
Think about shame for a moment. Shame convinces us that we are bad to the very core. Shame thrives on secrecy, silence, and judgment. “Shame corrodes the very part of us that believes we are capable of change.” Brene Brown. Shame convinces us that it is impossible to be anything different and it dulls our senses to the truth of who God has created us to be. Shame veils the reality of our true selves and the love of God. But, when we surrender that shame to God, one step at a time, and ask him to reveal the truth of who he is and who we are, the veil begins to lift. It may be a slow lift, but it does lift, and as that happens we begin to root ourselves in his love. Now, for me, I did this over and over again. Sometimes, I would dig up the roots and go back to all the old stuff- shame, guilt, legalism. But, with each time, God continued to lift the veil so I could see what was going on and open my heart to his truth and his reality. Shame battled intensely to win over the light and love that God offered me. Yet, there is no chance it could win against the brightly shining power and love of Jesus.
When we are in the veiled cycle our lives are controlled by shame, and when we feel shame we wallow in guilt, and when we feel guilt we run back to the legalistic lifestyle in an effort to be good. It just keeps going. It feels like there is no way out. But, when “Your spiritual roots go deeply into his life as you are continually infused with strength, encouraged in every way. For you are established in the faith you have absorbed and enriched by your devotion to him.” Colossians 2:7 This is when life really begins to happen, the moment we turn our devotion to him and surrender the wheel that cycles us through despair. The infused strength from Jesus lifts the veil that hides our true selves!
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