Shame, shame on you

Are you familar with this gesture: it involves pointing one index finger roughly palm-down and then using the other index finger to rub across it at a right angle, moving down the finger and repeating? Well that gesture was always accompanied by the words "Shame, shame". It was/is often applied from an adult to a young child when they do something wrong. This gesture has an interesting background, e.g. http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=373564 .

Well, we all deserve to have this gesture applied to us, because we all fall short of God's standards. Shame and guilt are what we should receive. Think of how you felt if you were the recipient of this gesture. I remember that awful feeling. It is a good thing that God has chosen to give us something other than what we deserve. He sent Jesus Christ to take on our shame and guilt. He took those to the cross and died for us. Praise God that our guilt and shame are truly taken away.

Now, if you take that shame gesture and stop the stroking down the finger half-way you get a cross shape as your two index fingers overlay each other. We can let that cross remind us that we are free due to what Jesus has done for us.