Epic Embarrassment

By Pamela Thomas

Fall is my favorite season. I love the cool crisp weather, bonfires, and the leaves lazily drifting away from the trees. Recently, I was in my other home in Michigan. It is in a small village on the lake. The school band practices marching up and down the streets and all the people of the town run out, cheer them on and clap for them as they practice. I heard the cadence of the band and ran out to see them perform. Homecoming was just around the corner and the band was practicing keeping their lines straight feverishly. “They had turned down my street!” I was so excited. I felt happy, kind of like Jiffy-Pop popcorn, inside. I might have even been marching…..a little.

As the band passed my house, I began thinking of another homecoming about 40 years ago. I was a twirler and I was going to debut twirling fire batons at halftime. I remember marching out to the middle of the field and beginning my routine. I threw the blazing inferno up in the air. I caught it. (Yes!) The crowd applauded. I was feeling sassy! I executed my next turn. “Hmmm...” I remembered thinking, "something smells like it is burning." I looked behind me and realized that my skirt had caught on fire and was spreading quickly. I had no alternative but to “stop, drop, and roll”. I could hear the spectators exclaim a collective gasp. My friend in the band helped me off the field, covering my “backside” as there was nothing to cover it up. I was crying, devastated, humiliated and a little burned but most of all embarrassed.

I had many years to think about that event and what to do when you are feeling embarrassed. It was not the only time I have left a room cringing and I have learned the following 3 things:

1. Jesus holds your life all together. When it seems that I cant, he does. There is nothing greater than his power to straighten up the things that you mess up. He knows how to fix any mess that comes up and that you feel embarrassed about.

"And He Himself existed before all things, and in Him all things consist (cohere, are held together)."

Colossians 1:17 AMPC

2. Jesus cares about your embarrassment. In prayer, tell Jesus about the situation and your feelings about embarrassment. He understands and you will find comfort.

"Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully."

1 Peter 5:7 AMPC

3. Stay in the race. After that event, I went on to win many trophies and awards in twirling and dance. I was never afraid of competition because I knew the worst had already happened and I made it. The spectators saw me be an epic failure. I know I have a cloud of witnesses that sees me triumphing eternally and will see me win the race.

“Therefore then, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us.”

Hebrews 12:1 AMPC