Monday, 21 April 2025

 Poverty and Shame

Proverbs 13:18 - Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuses instruction: but he that regards reproof shall be honoured.

   This brief statement informs us in a very straight-forward and frank way, that when you refuse instruction, you set yourself up for, and make yourself vulnerable to, a life of poverty and shame, and you would not be justified in blaming anyone else but yourself. A person certainly does not wish for either poverty or shame, but to have both of these embedded in one’s life would be a terrible, double-curse.

    Material poverty is a condition where one never has enough to meet the bare necessities of life, and there persists a constant struggle to pay bills and put food on the table. Spiritual poverty is when one may indeed have plenty of resources but the fear of never having enough or losing it all, grips the life. Neither of these are the intention of God for anyone. God desires to bless His children and supply what they need. He wants them to live in a state of peace and security; that is His heart. However, there are laws of life that constantly work and they will not be set aside, for if they were arbitrarily set aside, we would have disorder and chaos. While it is true that God cares deeply for all people, the laws themselves do not care for people, and they do not regard, or make distinctions between people. Those law-principles operate continually, unmoved by the pain and suffering that certain choices may bring.

    Possibly even more damaging than carrying the constant weight of poverty, is residing under a dark and heavy cloud of shame. Psychologists and therapists, and all those who work in the counselling field, tell us that shame is a central issue that fuels compulsive and self-destructive behaviour, and it is at the root of all addictions. There is no doubt that a relentless, nagging sense of shame captivates people and holds them in the vicious cycle of defeat. It is a sad fact that many people have been raised in a culture of shame. Many homes perpetuated shame without realizing it. Many churches, tragically, have done the same. Shame is both invisible and invasive; it is hard to detect and even harder to destroy. It does not promote positive change, instead it reinforces the inner voices of self-disdain and strengthens the lies that have held people down. Thank God, we can break free from all of that by understanding and applying the principles of God.

    Instruction is that which is given for the benefit of the student. It contains correction, warnings, and much-needed discipline. All of these elements are required in every person’s life, and there are no exceptions. If we want effectiveness and satisfied fulfillment in our lives, then we must never refuse instruction. The sad reality is, however, that most of us do refuse instruction and correction. When someone corrects us, quite often our first tendency is to defend ourselves and justify our actions, and by so doing, we are refusing the correction. There are many people who have refused correction and instead hid their shortcomings, or their sin, or their crimes, and when the truth came out, it brought with it both poverty and shame. Accepting correction and changing one’s life could have saved the person from all of the humiliation, loss and heart ache.

    In contrast to the one who refuses to accept correction, is the one who regards reproof, and, Oh, what a contrast it is. He that values reproof, or correction will eventually be honoured. Those who despise correction live under a heavy cloud of shame, but those who are humble enough to receive the correction, and know that they need it, will be those who live under the heavy blessing of God, enjoying peace and satisfaction. I use the word, heavy, because that is what it means to be honoured. It is a word that is connected to the glory of God. Scholars tell us that the Hebrew word for honour, or glory describes all that God is; He is heavy-laden with blessing, goodness, wisdom, power and wealth. That is what God wants to do for the one who values and submits to correction and discipline. By going through this process of submission to correction, we become people of character whom God and this world can entrust with great honour. Poverty and shame, or great honour? Which will you and I choose?