Psalm 34:4-5 (NIV) “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.”

As summer ends, I cannot help but to reminisce about sandy beaches and waves of water splashing on shores while seagulls sing and laughter floats on a warm breeze. Thoughts of the ocean also drift in the air of my mind during summer. When I think of the ocean, I’m reminded of how majestic our God is.

However, beneath the waves, rumbling in the deep waters of the imagination, creeping toward the forefront of the mind is the faint sound of John Williams’ score for the movie Jaws. Granted, in Michigan there are no sharks — at least, not the type that are fish — but people like to travel, and after all, it’s summer. Personally, I like sharks. I am infatuated. Some people even call me “sharkey” because of my love for them. I will admit I am a little obsessed. Some may say my obsession borderlines insanity — fair enough. Others may call it peculiar, and I am fine with that as well; after all, aren’t we all peculiar people? Nevertheless, I am fascinated with sharks and dream of someday going diving with them. But this article is not really about sharks, nor is it about my possible need for an intervention because of my infatuation with them. No. This article is about protection.

Some experts say that most shark attacks are the case of mistaken identity. They say if one is unfortunate enough to find themselves being attacked by a shark, one should fight back. The best way to fight back is by punching the shark in the nose or poking it in the eye. The nose holds what is called the Ampullae of Lorenzini. These are little pore-like sensory cells that pick up electrical pulses. By hitting the shark in the nose, you throw it off. By poking a shark in the eye, it will stop the shark, because, well, no one likes that! These tactics work because normally the prey of a shark attack does not do that. The shark’s natural prey has no hands and arms to fight back with; nor do sharks have any to defend themselves with. Therefore, sharks use the element of surprise. They are ambush predators.

So, if this article is not really about sharks, you may be asking yourself at this point, then what is it about? Glad you asked. There is a metaphorical shark that lurks the waters of our lives. This shark is shame. It comes unexpectedly, and its attacks are crippling, if not fatal. Shame is said to be the most powerful negative emotion. Shame makes us feel disconnected, alienated and isolated. Prey can easily be consumed when it is alone; therefore, the enemy uses the tactic of shame to instigate withdrawal from community.

However, you can fight back when it comes to the shark of shame.

In the Bible, in Genesis 2:25, Adam and Eve were exposed in the garden and felt no shame. Before the fall, the garden of Eden was a place of delight and peace. The enemy introduced doubt in the garden when he tempted human beings to take matters into their own hands. If trust frees us to be vulnerable, then shame creates disconnect in our lives and only restricts us. This is especially evident in our relationships with others. This was as true in the garden of Eden as it is now. When we take a closer look at Genesis, notably Chapter 3:1-13, we see that there are four actions that come with shame.

1) Cover Up:

We see this all the time today. It may look like running from feelings by being obsessed with working out, staying busy, staying up-to-date with fashion or entertainment or being a people pleaser. People will do anything to keep from standing out and being truly seen; therefore, the masks are donned, the make-up is applied. This is the cover up. In Genesis Chapter 3, it was the fig leaves.

2) Withdraw:

The efforts we tend to use to withdraw and control our shame often lead us to experience more shame and feel less control. Adam and Eve hid from God among the trees because of shame. However, God calls us all out of the shadows of shame to walk boldly in his light.

3) Blame:

We like to blame others. Adam did — he blamed Eve, basically saying that he was the victim in all of this, and the woman God gave him was defective — it was her fault. Eve blamed the serpent. And so, the cycle of blame was birthed, and it is still prevalent today, just packaged a little differently. It is easy to point the finger at someone else. We can be our best attorneys because we can easily justify anything, and yet we are the worst judges because we are quick to condemn and cancel others for the most trivial things.

4) Justify:

We justify things we know are wrong. We think, If only I had more time, I would not have acted this way, or if someone would not have said this, then I would not have said that, and so on.

Get this — we are not helpless, we can fight back. We fight back shame with grace. We may show up in shame about something, but God shows off in grace. Grace is so much bigger than shame, and, like most predators, shame flees when the larger grace enters the area. Therefore, give yourself grace and give others grace. This is not making excuses, but is meeting people where they are at, and we do that with love. Grace is like a punch in the nose for shame. The eye-gouging of the shark of shame is community. Sharks do not attack a pod of dolphins for a reason. When we live in community with each other, shame steers clear and swims around.