CCC 28-2_LR

INNOVATIVE THOUGHT & PRACTICE

to discourage us—even now, perhaps decades after we have moved across the street or across the country to escape those pictures. However, realize this: If we missed the Blessing and we want to heal personally and be free to bless others, we must understand the sources that have shaped our lives. And not just for our clients’ lives, but our own lives as well, if missing the Blessing has been our story. Let us begin by asking: Did you receive love, affirmation, and encouragement during your childhood? Was there the kind of support in your past that filled and lifted your heart and mind? Were there peo ple who acted like locks in a river and helped raise you up and move you forward? Or was your past full of those who were like anchors, throwing words and actions on you that weighed you down in real ways or kept you stuck or struggling to feel genuinely accepted and chosen? It Starts with The Gift of The Blessing If we received or missed the Blessing, we are speaking about being given or withheld several elements. For years, based on my (John) doc toral dissertation and our first book, The Blessing , we have studied, writ ten, and spoken about the five elements of the Blessing. These elements predate the renowned psychologist John Bowlby’s attachment theory and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) that aligns with Scripture. The five elements of the Blessing are: 1) Appropriate Meaningful Touch, 2) Spoken Words, 3) Attaching High Value, 4) Special Future, and 5) Genuine Commitment . You can see the Blessing being given or withheld in families pic tured in the Old Testament or the baptism of Jesus, where His Heavenly Father speaks words of blessing over Him, “… This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17, NKJV). These five elements still provide the loving bonds children, men, and women long for today. However, what if we missed them? For example, we may want to bless someone with a “special future” (one of the five), but we will often fail if we do not believe we have a special future ourselves. So our bless ing becomes paper-thin and tears into pieces when we try to hand it off to another. For decades now, we have focused our ministry, StrongFamilies. com, on helping people, parents, couples, singles, and even teams give those elements of the Blessing to others. However, what we see today is crushing evidence of an epidemic of brokenness in our culture. We will absolutely continue to focus on sharing HOW to bless others, but there is something extremely important that many people need today—a way to move from BROKEN TO BLESSED in their own life stories. The Journey We Challenge You and Your Clients to Take In our error-filled lives, as well as in the priceless, unfailing words and pictures from Scripture, we lay out a journey on how to move others, and how God moved us, from Broken to Blessed. A journey that we believe, in Christ, can see water rise above its source. That means that if we have missed the Blessing that we need so much, the love of God, expressed in His only Son, “… who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing…” (Ephesians 1:3, NKJV), can lift our heads, pull us out of the mud, and wash away any feelings of shame and hopelessness. Here, then, is a shortened picture of what is captured in our book, Your Journey from Broken to Blessed . We hope you can use this outline, based on the first book we have specifically written for those doing life without the Blessing’s loving bonds.

However, realize this: If we missed the Blessing and we want to heal personally and be free to bless others, we must understand the sources that have shaped our lives.

Christian Counseling Connection 19