Do You Blush?

We can all relate to the feeling of embarrassment. We know that in a moment our face can turn red and everyone will know we are blushing. Why do we blush?

Consider the science behind blushing. It is an involuntary reaction in which our nervous system automatically responds in a moment of fear, shame or anger. It triggers a release of adrenaline, which then causes the blood vessels in our face to dilate, thus creating a reddened face. It is a process designed by God that allows our bodies to naturally express shame.

However, in Jeremiah 6:15 we read, “Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush” (New International Version).

Do you know how?

It seems strange to say these people didn’t know how to do something that is supposed to be automatic and involuntary. God is making a point here. He is showing us that He created our bodies to be attuned to things that are not appropriate and to know when to turn aside.

However, because we are human, what causes us to feel guilt and shame can change. Our conscience can be shaped by culture, our family experiences and even our personality. God desires our ideas of right and wrong to be anchored in His Word rather than in the ever-shifting ideals of our society.

The people of Jeremiah’s time had stopped feeling shame for the wrong moral choices they were making. Their conscience no longer bothered them because their standards had been lowered. As they allowed the culture around them to change their conscience, they forgot how to blush.

How often do we blush at our society and its ways? Maybe not literally turn red in the face, but do things still shock and surprise us? Are we accustomed to crude humor and immoral beliefs, or do we want to turn away and have no part in them?

Who is stopping us?

It should be no surprise that Satan attacks the conscience. The apostle Paul prophesied that in the latter times some would “depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, … having their own conscience seared with a hot iron” (1 Timothy 4:1-2).

Physically searing or burning one’s body can cause permanent nerve damage that changes essential biological responses. Our body can lose the ability to feel hot and cold, limbs can be paralyzed, and basic body functions such as bladder control and sweating can become hard to regulate.

In the spiritual sense, Satan hopes to burn our senses so that we no longer use the God-given tools to detect and respond to the moral law God has established.

I was once in a movie theater when I began to feel uncomfortable with the scene and content of the movie. My guilt was kicking in when I noticed an interesting phenomenon. The rest of the people in the theater were laughing hysterically. The same stimulus was producing two entirely different reactions. Their minds were not conflicted by the authority of God’s teachings.

Satan has paralyzed the world. Through a slow transformation, most people have moved from tolerance to acceptance to actually enjoying what once might have made them ashamed. They no longer know how to blush.

How to repair a seared conscience

Physical nerve damage can sometimes be reversed. Other times it’s permanent. Thankfully, where it comes to our spiritual health, all things are possible with God (Philippians 4:13). We have hope of reversing any damage our enemy may have inflicted on us over time.

Continuing with our analogy, what can we do to restore our sensitivity to God’s standards?

• Physical Therapy: We can exercise our mind in God’s Word through Bible study. We can train new responses by holding them up to the standards found in His Word. After studying, we can take time to meditate on what is good, so that when the evil temptation appears, we will clearly recognize it and reject it from our life. Philippians 4:8 encourages us to seek out pure, virtuous and praiseworthy things to add to our lives.
• Time: Some wounds need time to heal. As God’s way begins to become a part of our daily thoughts and actions, we will notice improvement. Our life is a continual process of growing and repenting when we find ourselves falling short of God’s standard. God wants us to ask for wisdom, and He promises to freely give it (James 1:5) so that He can show us the right and narrow path when we veer off course.
• Surgery: There is a flaw in man that will have to be addressed in order to reattach what has been severed in the spiritual battle. Our sin cuts us off from God (Isaiah 59:2); but through repentance, baptism and conversion, God can remove what was corrupt and, by His Spirit, help us replace it with what is holy. When we commit ourselves to Him and gain the strength of the Holy Spirit now living in us, we will be a new person with the growing ability to be sensitive and aware of what God desires.

Our goal as Christians should be to follow God “from a pure heart and a good conscience” (1 Timothy 1:5). If you want to explore whether God’s way is truly impacting your life and whether Christ is becoming an integral part in guiding your decisions, check out our article “Christ in Us.”

We need to learn how to blush once again at society and its ways, as God leads us to a life of truth in Him.

Sarah Henderson and her husband, Andrew, attend the Columbus/Cambridge, Ohio, congregation of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association.