1 Thessalonians 2:13 – And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.
As a newer Christian and very young pastor, I will never forget one interview that was conducted for a conference I was speaking at. A well-known musical artist who was topping the charts at the time included a lot of Scripture into their songwriting.
When interviewed if they were a Christian, they basically said no. When asked why they knew so many Bible verses, they explained how, as a child, every time they did something wrong, their parents would punish them by making them read the Bible. As a result, they knew the Bible and hated it. This broke my heart.
Counselors commonly talk about two powerful forces at work in shaping who you are and how you process your past and prepare for your future.
Fear bonds are negative experiences that tie pain, or even evil, to a person, place, or thing. For example, a child with an abusive parent who never hugs them but only spanks them has a fear bond with that parent.
Joy bonds are positive experiences that tie positivity to a person, place, or thing. For example, when I was a little boy, my Grandpa George, who was very handy, built a large metal swing he painted green and yellow, placing an awning on to shade us from the sun. Whenever I went to his house, we would sit on the swing together, facing one another, eating ice cream while he asked me questions and told me fun stories. To this day, every time I see a photo of that swing, it brings back joy bonds.
One of the most tragic occurrences in Christian ministry is when the Word of God is weaponized to create fear bonds instead of joy bonds. As a Bible teacher, this bothers me at a deep level. Some people have had legalistic, law-based, non-relational, hypocritical religious people treat the Bible like a hammer to pound them like a nail. If you have had this experience from a pastor parent, I am very sorry. If you have experienced this from me as a Bible teacher, I am doubly sorry.
In your own words, what are the differences between having joy bonds and fear bonds with Scripture? Which do you think you have?
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