Ashamed, according to the dictionary means: reluctant to do something through fear of embarrassment or humiliation.
It is more complicated though… because we know religion is a topic that upsets a lot of people, and we don’t want to feel like we are the cause of those upset feelings… We aren’t responsible for other people’s feelings and have to be able to differentiate between “He feels this way about religion” and “I am made to feel a certain way as a result of his feelings”…
We should be discerning about what is and is not an appropriate time to bring up our religious beliefs, but I think be mindful of what inner feelings motivate our reluctance to open up when asked what we believe… I think if I am directly asked what I believe, I should have a clear and concise response at the ready, so that I can feel confidently prepared… Declining to answer a direct question all together could be a sign that you are ashamed… If you are at work and don’t think the timing is right, invite that person to sit down with you at another time… That might actually reveal his or her true intentions for asking - are they being confrontational or are they genuinely curious, or perhaps even seeking?
I want to be open to opportunities to witness, but be mindful of others feelings and guard my own heart… I also want to defend what I believe in, and sometimes doing that means not entering in to conversations that could evolve in to heated debates or cause anger, or worst of all, push someone even farther from God. But if I really am afraid to admit that I am a Christian and what is motivating me to keep quiet is just the fact that someone might think I’m silly or disagree with me, that’s shame.
