Scorning Shame

Studying the book of Hebrews I was once again struck by this famous passage in Hebrews 12:

Hebrews 12.2
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

Due to the amazing work of Brene Brown, there's been an increasing interest on the power of shame in our lives. Shame is such a crippling emotion.

So I'm struck again about the shame resiliency of Jesus. Jesus, in the translation of the NIV, scorned the shame of the cross. Most of us are bullied, pushed around, and bossed about by shame. Jesus scorned the shame. That's a bit more than shame resiliency!

And I love the connection with joy. Jesus scorned the shame for the joy. He wasn't angry or grim. The joy made him immune to shame's bullying.

Scorning shame for the joy. I think Ground Zero of mental health and the abundant life is found right there.