Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces. Psalm 34:5
Gisele Pelicot refused to carry shame. You don’t have to carry it either.
When Gisele Pelicot’s husband began drugging and trafficking her, her life became a nightmare of violation and betrayal.[1] By the time her case made it to court, everyone assumed she would protect her identity. But Gisele didn’t hide. She insisted on using her full name and showing her face in court.
Why? She said, “I have nothing to be ashamed of.” Gisele’s courage inspired many. Not because she hadn’t been wounded, but because she refused to carry shame.
Shame can creep in from what we’ve done—but also from what’s been done to us. Often, our shame is a mix of both, making us feel trapped and unworthy. It whispers: You’re disgusting. You’re worthless. You’re unlovable. Whether it’s tied to mistakes we regret, or wounds inflicted by others, the message is the same: You’re not good enough. It clings like a second skin, hiding our true identity.
But Jesus sees through shame’s accusations. He sees the lies, the labels, and the burdens we carry—and He stepped into our world to take them on Himself. Stripped, beaten, and executed by crucifixion for crimes He never committed, Jesus took the full weight of all humanity’s shame. The Bible says that “He endured the cross, disregarding its shame” (Hebrews 12:2). Then he came back to life, victorious.
Jesus offers you freedom from shame. The Bible says, “Those who look to him … will never be covered with shame” (Psalm 34:5).
You don’t need to stay in the prison of shame that holds you, even one more day.
[1] Meriguet, Pablo. “The Courage of Gisèle Pelicot.” Peoples Dispatch, 9 Sept. 2024, https://peoplesdispatch.org/2024/09/09/the-courage-of-gisele-pelicot/.
