I saw this show where a man who was overweight traveled to Japan. He met a Sumo wrestler, and his mind was blown because the Sumo wrestler was also overweight, but the Sumo wrestler never felt bad or shame about his weight. In fact, in Japan, a Sumo wrestler is marveled and looked upon as a hero. They are never made to feel ashamed for their weight.
I’ve noticed in the last few years that there’s been this term “shaming” used a lot. People on social media like to “shame” bad behavior. Other people reveal how traumatic it has been because they were “shamed” for things they should never have been “shamed” for like their weight or for a disability.
I think to myself that it would be a great world if we were more like the Sumo wrestler and we accepted ourselves as God accepts us. If we saw ourselves as God accepts us.
Here’s the thing about being “shamed”. The first time anyone was shamed was when Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge after the serpent tempted them. Before that moment, everything was okay. God accepted them just like they were. It wasn’t until they started to put value on themselves that they started to feel ashamed. My point is simple: God accepts and loves us. If we come to God, we can love and accept ourselves exactly as we are without shame or judgement. It is only when we let our values, expectations, and culture get in the way that we start to feel ashamed of ourselves and we want to shame others for various reasons. What a wonderful world it would be, almost like a Garden of Eden, if we could stop the shaming and remember what it was like to just accept and love one another like God loves and accept us.
My faith saved me. May God’s peace reside in all of our hearts.
