“Embarrassment is an underexplored emotion. Go out there and make a fool of yourself.”
— Austin Butler
“I fear that some men would sooner be damned than be laughed at.”
— Charles Spurgeon
BECOMING A FOOL
I came across a short clip this week, one of those blink-and-it’s-over street interviews. But it’s been echoing in my head ever since. Actor Austin Butler was asked for some quick advice that had impacted his life and success. He said this:
“Embarrassment is an underexplored emotion. Go out there and make a fool of yourself.”
It caught me off guard. Candidly, I first completely dismissed it as stupid, but I couldn’t shake it throughout the day. As with anything I hear that seems to stick, I started asking myself if there was any biblical precedent or wisdom to that. And eventually, I couldn’t help but see it as a timely truth in my own life and story.
If we’re honest, we’ve grown far too sophisticated for obedience.
We’ve grown too self-aware to be spirit-led. We don’t want to be cringey. We don’t want to be "that guy." We’ve carefully constructed these fragile little identities built on acceptance, affirmation, and fitting in and we guard them like glass.
But the rub is that the people of God have never been known for fitting in.
They’ve been known for following Him…no matter how foolish it makes them look.
MADE IN OUR IMAGE
We live in a world that worships image.
And nothing threatens image more than embarrassment.
We curate every angle of our lives, online and in person, to remain above reproach, beyond critique, and in control of how we’re perceived. We want to be taken seriously. But here’s the problem:
We’ve learned how to be respected by people… and forgotten how to be obedient to God.
Charles Spurgeon once said,
“I fear that some men would sooner be damned than be laughed at.”
And I think he’s right.
We’ll anchor our eternity on Christ, but we won’t acknowledge him in the break room.
We’ll preach faith from the pulpit, but avoid faithfulness at the dinner table.
We say we’d die for Him, but won’t risk being misunderstood for Him.
We say, "Jesus, I’ll give you everything"
But when Tuesday comes around, we won’t give him our pride.
THE JOY OF THE LORD
2 Samuel 6 tells a strange story.
The Ark of the Covenant, the very presence of God, is returning to Jerusalem.
David, the king of Israel, is losing his mind. He’s not performing a royal ceremony. He’s not making speeches.
He’s dancing like a madman.
He’s shouting and leaping and worshiping with all his might.
And Michal, his wife, watches from the window. She despises him.
Why?
Because it was undignified.
Because it wasn’t kingly.
Because she was embarrassed to be associated with someone so expressive.
And when she confronts him, David responds with the line that should burn itself into our memory:
“I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your eyes.” [2 Sam. 6:22, ESV]
Or, as some translations say: “I will become even more undignified than this.”
Translation?
You haven’t seen anything yet.
David didn’t grow up in Saul’s palace like Michal did. He grew up in the pasture. He didn’t learn how to be impressive. He learned how to be dependent.
He knew where his help came from.
He knew who called him.
He knew whose approval mattered.
A measly shepherd boy that found himself ruling a kingdom all due to the work of the God he served.
So when the presence of God came near, he had an audience of one.
EMBARRASSMENT AS A PATH TO INTIMACY
Here’s the irony:
We think embarrassment is a threat to intimacy.
But in the Kingdom of God, embarrassment can be the doorway to it.
We see this all through scripture:
Noah looks like a fool building a boat in the desert.
Moses stutters through speeches he didn’t want to give.
Jeremiah weeps over a people who mock him.
Paul is beaten, jailed, misunderstood, and calls it a “light and momentary trouble.”
And Jesus?
Jesus is stripped, mocked, spit on, nailed up naked…and with his dying breath, forgives the very people killing him.
Listen, there is no “dignified” version of the cross.
It was through public shame that salvation came to the world.
WILLING TO LOOK FOOLISH
When was the last time you did something that made you uncomfortable for the sake of Christ?
When was the last time you brought up Jesus knowing it might kill the vibe?
When was the last time you followed the prompting of the Spirit instead of the approval of people?
Friends, the truth is… If we are never willing to be embarrassed for the gospel, we’ll never carry it far.
If we are never willing to look foolish, we’ll never live faithfully.
There is no version of radical discipleship that keeps your image safe.
You’re going to be misunderstood. You’re going to be mocked.
You might be called a zealot, a bigot, a fool, a weirdo.
Good.
A FINAL CHARGE
Be honest with yourself… have you been playing it safe for too long?
Have you made peace with lukewarm?
Have you confused caution for wisdom, and people-pleasing for peace?
It’s time.
It’s time to risk.
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It’s time to surrender.
It’s time to lay down your dignity at the feet of the only one who deserves it.
The world doesn’t need more cool Christians.
It needs committed ones.
Ones willing to look foolish.
Ones willing to risk embarrassment.
Ones willing to prioritize the resurrection over reputation.
Friends…you haven’t seen anything yet.
So go ahead. Be undignified.
Live loud. Love boldly. Obey quickly.
Become even more undignified than this.
Jesus didn’t die so you could live a dignified, respectable life.
He died to give you fullness of life.
He died to set you free.
Risk embarrassment for the sake of eternity this week.
You’ll find yourself in good company.