AOS Faith

 "When a scripture text seems inconsistent with something Jesus says or the way he acts, and I have to choose between the two, I'll choose Jesus every time. John describes Jesus as God's Word that became flesh: he is the definitive Word of God. All other words in scripture were mediated through ordinary human beings." Adam Hamilton, Half Truths

My favorite grocery store is Aldi.

I'm all about getting enough food for meals for my family for an entire week on only 4 aisles in less than 30 minutes. No wandering around trying to find things. No massive decisions. Want green beans - there's one option. Need canned biscuits? Here's your one choice.

Shopping at Aldi is part of my plan to extinguish decision fatigue.

My favorite aisle at Aldi is collectively known as the "Aisle of Shame" (caw caw anyone?).

For those not bringing your own quarter to shop, the AOS aisle as it's affectionally known is full of everything you want but didn't know you needed. Rainboots? Check. New cutesy planner? Check. Candle or card for a gift? Check.

You don't tell the AOS what you need. It tells you.

As I wandered the AOS letting it speak to me last week, I thought about this idea of "shame."

Brene Brown is my favorite writer on shame. She defines shame as " the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging—something we’ve experienced, done, or failed to do makes us unworthy of connection."

She determines a distinction between shame and guilt. Guilt is "is adaptive and helpful—it’s holding something we’ve done or failed to do up against our values and feeling psychological discomfort."

If I buy something on the AOS that I don't need, I don't feel guilt. Nothing about purchasing a seasonal adorable gnome for my mantle is inherently evil or wrong.

What I instead feel is shame. I feel bad that I bought something I didn't "need" because I've determined shopping is for necessity.

Apparently this is a common thought as they don't call it the "Aisle of Guilt."

I think a lot of what we label as "guilt" in our lives is actually just "shame."

And shame is like a "should" - it's not helpful.

Guilt is productive. Guilt does a work in our heart and our minds and changes our actions. Or it is designed to.

Shame just makes us feel bad. Shame sends the message that we are never going to be enough. Never going to do enough. Never going to be fully loved.

I'm currently reading this book called Half Truths where the author investigates bumper sticker Christian sayings and asks the question - is that scripture based?

As I'm reading, I'm thinking about how we have misread the Bible as a book intended to make us feel guilt. But what we really feel is shame.

And I'd assert the purpose is neither.

I think we've become a body of Christ who labels things like the Aisle of Shame without ever pausing to ask "Is that truth?"

Or is it just a half truth that has been slapped on a bumper sticker so we believe it?

Did we read that we should feel bad for buying something on the coveted middle aisle of Aldi so we do?

Little known fact. Aldi makes the majority of their income off the middle aisle. That's where the profit margin is the greatest. So every time I buy a cute gnome, not only does my mantle look festive but it helps the cost of my milk stay low.

Taking time to investigate a half truth - to read more than just the single verse some preacher spouted one Sunday - changes the perspective.

Context and culture matter.

A little information goes a long way.

Mama Warriors, I encourage us to be people who don't just feel shame for buying the gnome but rather do the research.

I encourage us to be people to ask the big questions.

To wrestle with scripture.

To come down on the side of Jesus.