What is a relationship with Jesus like?
Although the idea of the Trinity can't really be understood we are told what some of the characteristics of that relationship are. And one of those characteristics is the existance of a father/son relationship. Both the fathers and the sons desire is that we would have the same kind of relationship that Jesus has with the father. Although Jesus is God his position was that of a son - a little like you and your kids are all human (of equal importance) yet their relationship with you is father/child.
Jesus is described as the "first born amongst many brothers". We are to become brothers/sisters of him in the sense that we are to become "children of God". "Adopted children" of God in fact - Jesus being the Fathers 'natural' offspring.
So to understand a little more of what it is to have relationship with God we should look at our own relationships with children. This from the perspective either of not having that relationship with God yet or having that relationship with him but being in a position of having forgotten how the relationship is meant to be.
It would be helpful to all to look at our children in their relation to us to help us cast our own minds back to the relationship we had with our parents when we were very young. I understand that for many those relationships were troubled and unhappy. In that case, all a person could do is look at some idealised father/son relationships for direction: the better relationships our friends had with their parents perhaps, or ones that we have seen in the movies and possibly envied.
Some of classic characterisitics of such good parent/child relationships would be;
- the child hero worships their parent. Their parent (up to an age at least) is the centre of their universe. The parent can do everything in the childs eyes. They are God in fact.
- the child recognises that he is totally dependant on his parent for anything that it has. All good things stem from the parent: the child not having the means to support itself.
- the parent disciplines the child for its own good. The child of loving parents can take the discipline and know that the parent still loves it.
- the child wants to please its parent. Its parent expressing pleasure in it is the chief delight of the child.
- the parent is the one who picks the child up when it is hurt, who tends to wounds and assures that all is okay. The parent is the one who "wipes every tear from your eye".
- the parent is the one whose expression of concern and love and all the rest, comfirms to the child that he/she is worthwhile. This is a very special category of total dependance. The child has no sense of intrinsic worth bar that which comes to it from the parent.
- the parent is the one who steps in to protect (with its own life if necessary) the child against danger. This fierce protectiveness also confirms worth in the child. It also makes the child feel safe and protected.
- the parent is in a better position to know what is good for the child and what is not good. The child will have its own ideas: perhaps it wants to stuff its face with sweets because to its mind sweets are good. The parent will seek to protect the child from itself.
- the parent is the one who introduces excitement and pleasure and fun and games into the childs life. The parent spots characteristics individual to the child and seeks to stimulate these interests. They don't force the children to do things that they patently have no interest or ability in, but instead they seek to nurture and develop the things that are of interest and within the ability of the child. The good parent sets reasonable, thought out challenges and is the one the child looks to for approval when those challenges are met or is the one who picks the child up and dusts it off with encouragement and love when the challenge isn't met.
- the relationship between parents and children are the most loving relationships that can potentially exist. Not even love for a spouse can trump the love a person has for their own children. Their own flesh and blood.
Now children are not likely to be in a position to know these things - they are kids after all. But they can pick up the sense of these things even as children. They are wired for it. We, as adults are in a fortunate position. As adults we are well able to understand all these things about parent/child relationships. We are ideally equipped to become children of God for we know what our position should be - we have been children and parents ourselves. 'All we need to do' is project our own experiences of being both children and adults onto God/us in order to understand the relationship as it is meant to be. And our place that relationship.
Us as children. God, as Father, displaying perfect parenting characteristics. If a person has enjoyed their experience as a child then they can know something of what it is like to have a relationship with God. Its being a beloved child again. What could be better! And if a person has not had an enjoyable childhood then just wait: your in for a pleasurable surprise! All that has to happen is for you to be adopted into his family if you haven't yet been.
quote:
Unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the Kingdom of God.(Matthew 18:3)
Edited by iano, : No reason given.
Edited by iano, : No reason given.
Edited by iano, : No reason given.
Edited by iano, : No reason given.
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