Properly Handling Embarrassment

Yes, as a preacher I should have known that, but, in the moment I couldn’t bring it to mind.

What I’m speaking about is a moment that is burned in my memory. The two men who were with me probably do not even remember this story, but I do, both because of my mental lapse, but also because of the gracious way in which it was handled.

I was a youth minister in Haleyville, and we had a 15-minute radio program that ran each weekday. It was my privilege to be the speaker quite often on the program during our nearly seven years there. At times, though, we would also have guests and we would simply discuss a Biblical topic. These were fun, and they gave me a chance to interact with great men in the Lord’s service.

On one such occasion, brother Andy Kizer and I were interviewing Todd Clippard. To put it better, the three of us were, as we sometimes did on “The Christian Hour,” having a roundtable discussion of a Biblical topic. Thankfully, Andy usually tossed me the “softball” questions, but on this day, even that didn’t matter.

We were talking about building our faith, and Andy asked me something like, “Adam, where do we get that faith?” My answer was correct: “Through Bible reading and study.” But then he stated, “And I think there’s a verse that talks about that.”

……. and I blanked.

I could not come up with Romans 10:17 for anything. You could have laid a $100 bill on the table with the promise of getting it just for quoting that verse, and your money would have been safe. I was totally lost in the moment, and we were on a live radio program.

Admittedly, I stalled for a moment, saying something like “Yes, the Bible speaks to that.” Todd, seeing my panic, quickly found Romans 10:17 (“Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God”) and handed the Bible to me with his finger on the passage. I read the passage, and we moved on.

But the story remains with me, because my friend showed how to handle someone who was struggling in an embarrassing situation. Todd and Andy could both quote Romans 10:17 in their sleep (and probably in Greek), but they knew that there are times when we all blank on something we should know. They both knew that I was embarrassed by it, and I can’t thank them enough for their grace in the moment.

I tell you this story, because they could have embarrassed me in front of the millions–okay, the dozens–who listened to the show. They could have laughed at me. But they knew I was genuinely embarrassed. They taught me a lesson that day that I need to do better at.

Each of us deals with people who are good, honest, God-fearing people, but who have one gaff or mistake. We have the ability to make fun or to run them down over it. It isn’t anything sinful, but it is still embarrassing to that person.

Why not show them a little grace? Help them through, and build up their strength. It may not be a “big” moment to you, but it means the world to him/her. I’m sure Andy and Todd barely remember that moment, if they remember it at all. But I’ll never forget it. It meant the world to a young preacher.

Thanks, brothers.