Tempted by Grace

“If you put shame in a petri dish it needs three things to survive: secrecy, silence and judgment. If you put shame in that same petri dish and douse it with empathy, it can’t survive.”

These words, from a TED talk given by author Brené Browne, are truths ProGrace comes back to time and time again. While many think shame is an effective (even necessary) tool to change behavior, research shows that shame actually has the opposite effect – it drives people deeper into destruction. “Shame corrodes the very part of us,” Brené says, “that believes we’re capable of change.”

That’s why we’re so passionate about grace – it alone has the power to transform.

Today, let’s pay attention to our own temptation to use shame as a way to change other’s behavior. Let’s pay attention to the way our culture addresses women facing unplanned pregnancy with shame. Let’s work against these trends by focusing on the way God unleashes his grace to transform all of our lives – erasing our shame and calling us to new life. Let’s live out of the joy of that good news today.