The God of Secure Attachments

Relationships, Audio PodcastNancy HoustonDecember 12, 2016shame, attachments

Just Like Jesus

In learning that I was a powerful person, I realized I had a choice to use that power like Jesus does, for the good of others, or to use that power for the destruction of others. Jesus models how to use personal power for the good of others.

Jesus is our Savior, but He doesn’t enable us. In the gospels, when someone wanted something from Jesus, He asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” His questions helped people practice becoming a healthy self by taking personal responsibility to ask for what they wanted. Scripture says, “You do not have because you do not ask God” (James 4:2 NIV). Jesus wants us to be assertive and to learn how to ask for what we desire, without demand or entitlement.

RelationshipsNancy HoustonNovember 28, 2016

Empowered

Nothing is more defeating than believing that we are powerless, yet, too many of us have lived life feeling just that—powerless. We feel powerless over the condition of our relationships, our finances, and our future. And worst of all this is completely the opposite of how God intends us to live our lives. Powerless people tend to blame everyone else for their messes in life. And they don’t connect the difficulties in their lives with their own choices, someone else is always to blame for the life they are living. Sadly, they don’t believe they have the power to change or make choices that will impact their future for the good. Powerless people are fueled by fear and they create an environment of anxiety wherever they go. Often they use control and manipulation to communicate to others “they better submit—or else!”

RelationshipsNancy HoustonOctober 24, 2016

Community

Scripture teaches us to love our neighbor as ourselves. But did you ever consider that love, empathy, and kindness start with you? Practicing self-empathy, self-kindness, and self-love are foundational for healthy relationships with others. If we can’t receive empathy for ourselves, then we will be incapable of giving it to others.

Another way we can empower our relationships is by getting into community. God wired you for attachment. Adults need attachment as desperately as an infant does. You were never intended to do life alone. That is part of the purpose of relationships. God wanted you to have secure attachments throughout your adult life—individuals who know and love you just as you are—with no shame.