Break the Frame

"For the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity." - Proverbs 24:16

There is a battle we all face, and sometimes it is not just the storm in front of us but the shame that follows behind. Yesterday, we talked about having that buffalo mentality, charging into the storm, facing it head-on, knowing that running through it is the fastest way to get to the other side. But what happens when the storm is not just around you but inside you? What happens when shame keeps pulling you back to your worst moment, framing your entire identity around that one mistake?

People are quick to frame you by your failure. That one decision you regret. That season of your life you wish you could erase. They remember it. They tell others about it. And sometimes they keep bringing it up, no matter how many times you have apologized, no matter how much you have changed. Their words become chains, holding you hostage to a version of yourself that no longer fits who you are becoming.

And if you are not careful, you start to agree with them. Shame creeps in and whispers, “This is who you are now. This mistake defines you. You are your failure.” That is the lie. Shame makes you see yourself through a distorted lens, turning a single moment into your entire identity. But hear this today: shame has no place in the life of a child of God.

Yes, you blew it. Yes, you made mistakes. But your story does not end there. Proverbs reminds us that even when the righteous fall seven times, they rise again. God does not frame you by your worst moment. He is still taking new snapshots of your growth, your healing, and your redemption. While people may want to keep you stuck in the past, God is always calling you forward.

At some point, you have to say, I have done what I can to make it right. I have repented. I have changed. Now I give it to God, and I refuse to let your opinion define who I am becoming. Your identity is not found in the words of people who only see your past. Your identity is rooted in the God who is still writing your story.

I want to encourage you to run to the storm of shame and confront it. Break the frame that others have tried to keep you in. Let God’s truth set you free from the labels and the lies. You are not your mistake. You are not your failure. You are a work in progress, loved by a God who sees every flaw and still calls you His own. And when He breaks the frame, no one can put it back together again.