Faith in God is a supernatural relationship. It affirms your value as a human being because you know the validity of who Jesus claimed to be and what He said and did while living among us. He validated his authority over disease, nature and the destructive selfishness of the human heart. When you accept and follow Jesus, He promises to be with you on the journey of life here on earth and after our death, He promises eternal life. He also promised He would send His Spirit to guide you. The power of a Biblical worldview is the way it transforms you from the inside out.
How does all this relate to Confident Parenting & Family Connections?
In a family, we are individuals relating to each other which we call relationships. Before you can have healthy relationships with others, we need to know and understand ourselves.
We are all wounded people. We are flawed people- we mess up, make mistakes knowingly and unknowingly and make destructive choices that end up hurting ourselves and others. The most powerful force in the universe can transform you, as you surrender yourself to a relationship with Him. How will we be transformed? As I have stated earlier, the Bible shows us that having an encounter with Jesus Christ will change you forever. You will begin the process of becoming more like Jesus.
When we think about Jesus and His attributes there are four attributes that stand out.
FOUR ATTRIBUTES OF JESUS THAT WE GAIN WITH A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW
There are many attributes of Jesus that He demonstrated during His time on earth. However, the following four stand out as defining qualities of Jesus. These are the qualities that help strengthen connections in our family relationships as well as all our relationships of life.
Attribute #1- Humility
One of the most powerful anecdotes to selfishness is humility. Humility could also be referred to as selflessness. You don’t consider yourself as more important than others. You don’t think about what is good for you but rather look out for what is good for others.
The humility of Jesus is shown in the way he arrived in life. He came as a helpless baby, in a small town, in a stable. He did not come with a demonstration of power and authority, in the capital city or in a palace. Jesus demonstrated His power & authority over disease, nature and death so He had no reason to be humble. When you look at the life of Jesus, you see His humility coming through as He saw the needs of the marginalized and outcasts of society. He encouraged everyone to look at life in a way that put love for God and love for our neighbor as our primary focus in life. He demonstrated His humility and love by trusting God as He was unjustly put to death for a greater purpose. Out of love, He willingly died to reconnect us to God.
Attribute #2- Empathy
Empathy is when you can take the perspective of another person. You join them where they are by not judging them, or trying to make things better. You come alongside them in what they are experiencing, that says, “I feel with you.” This is the most powerful way to connect with others.
Jesus has a way of coming alongside people in their distress that says, “I am with you in this.” He also pointed us to God and taught us that God is our Heavenly Father, who loves us and cares about us as individuals. Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Attribute #3- Gratitude
Gratitude is what make what you have…. enough. Gratitude is a way of looking at life that takes each moment as a gift. You show a great appreciation for life, your possessions and your relationships. You have gradatude for the possessions and relationships that positively affect your life and you demonstrate your appreciation by the way you live your life.
We see in the life of Jesus a gratitude for life that showed in the way He valued each person He encountered. He was especially drawn to the hurting and the outcasts. He had harsh words for those who devalued people. He spent his life without a home yet was consistently pointing out the good news of God’s love for us. He lived a life of gratitude.
Attribute #4- Forgiveness
Forgiveness is releasing a person who has wronged us, from the judgement that is deserved. This concept of forgiveness is actually a healthy way to neutralize toxic emotions. Unforgiven wrongs often produce bitterness in us that is a poison that effects our outlook on life and our ability to have healthy trusting relationships. When we release a person from judgement, we free ourselves from holding on to that debt.
Jesus asks us to forgive others just as we have been forgiven of the wrongs we have done toward God and others. He often referred to Himself as being sent from His Father to cleanse (forgive) us from our selfish nature and reconnect us with God, our Heavenly Father. Jesus said, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
Family Connections 