For years, Eleanor slipped into our church services late and left early. She always sat in the back row, always turned down invitations to coffee and her attendance was sporadic at best. When she did come, she kept her head down, rarely making eye contact - many assumed she was just shy or private.
What none of us knew was that Eleanor was carrying a burden of profound shame. Her flat had gradually become overwhelmed with possessions: piles of magazines, bags of clothes, stacks of boxes - until there were only narrow pathways between mountains of items. The situation had deteriorated to the point where it posed genuine health risks, but her shame kept her locked in silence. She felt that if people saw how she lived, they would judge her and think something was wrong with her.
The turning point came when Jane and Mark from our home group gently persisted in their friendship with Eleanor. After months of building trust, they made a breakthrough. They conveyed to Eleanor that their love for her had nothing to do with the condition of her flat, and that nothing she could show them would change that. With trembling hands, Eleanor finally gave them her key.
How to apply the gospel across cultures? Talk about shame
I still remember the weight of that brown envelope in my hands. My entire future seemed contained within those folded …