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As I finished the last edits of my new book, All the Families of the Earth: Therapists in Bible Times, I began to see what I’ve written somewhat differently than I would have guessed at the start. At first, I thought I was using the stories of scripture—stories many of us are familiar with—to describe family systems theory. Now, I have realized that family systems theory has helped me to interpret scripture.
A look at the Beatitudes in the Natural Systems Scale for Congregations, sub-dimension three: Connectedness. Connectedness comes in two parts. The first is simply that individual people in the unit – whether that unit is a family or a congregation or a community or a work setting – are in relationship with one another. The second involves the quality of the relationships…
Today, I look at the beatitudes in relation to sub-dimension two of the model used to develop a Natural Systems Scale for Congregations. (See more about the model under the Perspicacity tab).
Sub-dimension Two: Tension or Anxiety Management: Families or congregations seek not to avoid tension, but rather, to manage it when it occurs. Some situations are inherently anxiety-provoking. In more mature groups, anxiety is proportional to the problem: a realistic assessment of the facts of the situation occurs. In less mature groups, fear spreads through the triangles with less and less connection to reality. When the least mature are the leaders, the group loses functional capacity as all are required to accommodate those with the least ability to manage their emotions under tension.
Two weeks ago, a dear friend from my church died.
Carol was a trooper. There was nothing she couldn’t – or didn’t – do for the church. Need to know what to put in a school backpack or a Thanksgiving basket or the Tommy’s Toys box at Christmas? Ask Carol. How to make the coffee? Ask Carol. Who would bring breakfast for the Wednesday 7:30 am service crowd? What was the property committee doing? Where do the homeless in our community go for help? What was the name of the person at the nearby church who ran a food pantry? What was the history of refurbishing the Sunday School rooms? How would one get involved in outreach efforts like laundry love?