A Small Book about Why We Hide: How Jesus Rescues Us from Insecurity, Regret, Failure, and Shame
As humans, we are prone to insecurities, fear of failure, and regrets which we try to hide and cover up, resulting in isolation from both those around us and God. Through fifty devotionals, counselor Edward T. Welch shows us how God speaks with gentleness, depth, and hope that will lead us out of hiding and to live more openly, authentic, and regret-free.
Welch speaks to our struggles with shame, disappointments, and inadequacy with God's words of love and change. Welch shows us how we were created to be known by God and others, and how hiding undermines these relationships. Each daily devotional focuses on a specific biblical truth that unpacks the reasons underlying our feelings of failure and weakness and then points us in the direction of turning to God for acceptance, identity, and security.
Sometimes we hide because of our own failures and weakness, and sometimes we hide because of what others have done and said to us, but in either case, we can be free from shame because of the work of Christ on the cross. Jesus took our shame on himself, so we can trust that now we are valued children of God.
Through a closer examination of Scripture, we can be assured God will meet us in the insecurities of daily life. We can find true security in his love and live freely and honestly with others.
"Ed has written many good books, but it's his writing on shame that people read through tears. It touches deep, onto nagging insecurities: I know Jesus died for my sins, but why do I feel like an imposter at work and a disappointment at home? Ed invites us to entrust our 'fragile inner worlds' to God for safekeeping. We find that it's ok to be ordinary and imperfect, and that we really can be both known and loved."
—Michael Gembola, Executive Director, Blue Ridge Christian Counseling; author of After an Affair: Pursuing Restoration
"We are all tempted to hide. Ed Welch tenderly uses both story and Scripture to invite us to live differently—as people who are known and deeply loved by God. He does so masterfully. Sweet truths and probing questions encourage us to see more of God's relentless love and less of ourselves. Each page in A Small Book About Why We Hide overflows with irresistible and life-changing truths."
—Darby A Strickland, Faculty and counselor, CCEF; author of Is it Abuse?
Format: Hardcover