Even public humiliation can’t stop God from healing us. He is greater than our deepest wounds. Cheryl tells how God met her to help her forgive her ex-husband. In the process of working through the harms done to her and her children, she came to know God in an intimate way that matured and strengthened her. She can now pass on the hope to others who are hurting.

Divorce is painful. Having your family’s sins written up in the newspaper for all to read might feel worse. Cheryl shares her journey of walking through divorce and public humiliation. She shares how God met her in the crisis. His faithfulness carried her through a day at a time.

God’s grace is our hope when we believe we should condemn ourselves. After divorce, Mark saw himself as a failure, focusing on his mistakes rather than on who he was in Christ. The grace offered to him by brothers and sisters in Christ freed him to forgive his ex-wife. He began to believe he had something to offer others. Hope for the future was restored.

The ending of a marriage through divorce is painful for everyone affected. It can bring up feelings of shame. It can make a person lose confidence and hope. Mark shares how his marriage started with all good intentions and then struggled. Even after working hard to save the marriage, it ended in divorce, which created a sense of failure in him. Redemption was on the horizon, but he couldn’t see it yet.

Students in middle and high school have a significant need to belong. When they fear they don’t have a place among their peers, shame is often the result. Nicole Hunter, veteran teacher and youth minister, explores the impact of social media and culture on students. She shares how the Gospel can bring hope to students who need encouragement.

Understanding how brain development affects the behaviors and thought processing of teens helps adults know how to be a support to them. Nicole Hunter shares her expertise and wisdom after years of teaching. She gives insight into the ways students cope with their fears of not measuring up academically. She tells how adults can guide their students to success.

After a childhood filled with trauma and shame from relational neglect and educational breakdown, Cary begins to find healing through Jesus, a grace-based church, and career success. Through God’s enablement, he was able to forgive those who brought him great harm. He began to walk in the truth of who he really is.

Before there was understanding of learning differences, students were sometimes wrongly labeled. They were identified as having character issues. Shame quickly took root. Cary shares the story of his painful experiences in school with teachers and peers who didn’t know how to meet his needs and embrace his unique design.

School makes up the majority of each day for children and teens. We often tell them that going to school is their job. Yet school can be a place where students come face to face with their fears and insecurities about themselves. It is important that the shame experiences are addressed so that we can move forward with health and wisdom.

Identifying the shame lies he believed about his height and his value as a man was the first step of healing for Brian. As he began to receive instead of dismiss the affirmations of those who knew him well, the truth penetrated his heart and mind. He began to believe what is true about him, growing him in confidence of who he is. This freed him to live out the calling of his life with greater joy.

Brian grew up believing he was not enough. His negative experience with men in authority followed by being told he was too short in height to be valued, produced shame in him. Brian believed the lie of his shame and fought to be heard and seen. Learning that Jesus accepted and valued him for who he is began to change his belief system.

A shame-based evaluation of our bodies hinders us from appreciating the gift that they are to us. Along with self-compassion, it’s important that friends, loved ones, and fellow believers encourage one another regarding body image. Jenny Scheid, MA, LPC, shares some of the tools she uses with clients, helping them to think of their bodies with gratitude.

What we believe about ourselves on the inside reflects how we evaluate our outward appearance. If I don’t think I measure up as a person in general, I may criticize parts of my body, believing my looks are the issue. Jenny Scheid, MALPC, shares her expertise about body image issues, bringing clarity to the root cause of the struggle.

There is a strong emphasis in our culture on image. Therefore, we can find we have insecurities about our appearance. We want to be valued and may fear that something in our looks may not measure up. Facing the shame helps us to understand what may be behind the insecurity. Our bodies and how they work are miracles from God. Thanking Him for our bodies and body parts helps us shift our focus to the gifts they are to us.

As family members understand that their relationships are dysfunctional, they can look for resources to help them gain tools to live in a healthier way. As churches offer relational discipleship, they can be used by God to bring healing and hope to individuals and families. Growing in intimacy with Jesus strengthens us for the journey.

Every family has a system whereby they try to maintain a relational balance. Some family systems function well. Others are dysfunctional. Kaye Schneider will help us understand dysfunctional family systems, and how each person takes on a different role in an attempt to create personal safety and internal peace. Patterns can develop that may last into adulthood, but change is possible.

Our family members can be some of the most important people in our lives. They know us in a way that others can’t and their opinion of us carries weight. When we intentionally or unintentionally shame each other, it’s important to learn helpful and healthy ways of responding so that we relate well. If not, we can fall into the Shame-Contempt Dance, which tears down relationships and hurts those we love most.

When a parent notices within themselves the cue of an unhealthy emotional reaction to their child, there are steps to take that bring change. Learning to stop and come back to the child when a parent is emotionally regulated allows the parent to respond in a way that creates hope for growth in trust.

Events and trauma from our past manifest in the present as we parent, no matter the age of our children. Christopher Keck, DBH, LPC, President and CEO of Open Hearts Family Wellness shares his experience and wisdom as a father and mental health professional. He graciously tells how our emotional reactions as parents give us clues to what may remain unresolved in our relationships. Taking steps to address those issues will make us healthier parents and more whole as people.

When a mother or father has shame issues, it affects their ability to parent their children. It makes them self-focused. It keeps them from being confident in decision-making and hinders their objectivity of themselves and their children. Examining these patterns in ourselves, if we are parents, or recalling the effects of our own parent’s shame issues helps us take the necessary steps to move forward to a healthier future.