Do you remember the Rudolf Christmas TV special that included the island of misfit toys? I do. I related to them, a lot. Rudolph and his buddies Hermey the Elf and Yukon Cornelius all travel to the Island of Misfit Toys. There is the Jack-in-the-box named Charlie, a train with square wheels, and a boat that doesn’t stay afloat, the dolly for Sue, who is the opposite of Rudolf, she has no nose at all. All of the toys are there because they have been rejected, abandoned, left aside by humans who were supposed to love them. They each had abandonment issues. Naturally, their brains would experience shame—though each might deal differently with it. Here’s some of the lyrics from the toys.
“We’re all misfits!”
If we’re on the Island of Unwanted Toys
We’ll miss all the fun with
the girls and the boys
When Christmas Day is here
The most wonderful, wonderful,
wonderful day of the year!”
Shame’s a bitch! Even children seem to get it.
Shame involves the rational or irrational, conscious or subconscious, negatively judging ourselves when we believe we’ve failed to live up to either our own standards or the standards of other people (H. Lewis, 1971). When severe or toxic, it becomes the singular lens through which all self-evaluation is viewed. As such, some words used to express the emotion of shame include feeling insecure, worthless, unclean, broken, outie, stupid, unlovable, foolish, silly, inadequate, or simply less than.
Here’s the thing. You can’t just choose to not feel shame. I am sure that you’ve tried. It is largely birthed in your subconscious midbrain and has been growing your whole life.
The good news is that God loves the shamed, the unlovable, the unloved and the unlovely. The goal is for you and me to experience that more.
This is why we created the online 2-hour journey, The Dance (www.The-Dance.org). It is for all misfit toys who get it that something is wrong.
It is not magic. It is the Gospel, the power of the love of Christ for those who feel unworthy and unlovable. The Dance is for any computer or smart device. It is fun, interesting, relevant, and most importantly, non-shaming.
Here is the feedback from one 20-something woman who went through The Dance. She has a severe abuse background over a number of years. Here is a portion of her testimony,
One of my favorite Christmas movies is “The Island of Misfit Toys” so I very much bonded with the idea that we are all misfits and I love the idea that God loves maladjusted people… It is through Him and His strength, He does it. God help me to not feel like a loser, weak, intimidated or hopeless…God is all powerful and can help me, change me…and I can walk up and try to dance just as I am. The hope that He is not going to say “you can’t dance” or “what are you doing here” is awesome. Thank you.
Do you experience shame? Let us help. The goal is for you to really experience the love of God for unlovables, unloved, and unlovely. It will begin to diminish your shame, a little or a lot. Let me know what you think. [email protected].
Check out the other God’s Love for the Unlovable shows on many Lifestream TV’s networks (Women, Drug Free, Men, Church, Lifestream Network). Also, check out my website, www.Gospel-App.com. Lots of resources, videos, programs, books, and bookmarks, many free.
Take heart, child of God.
