Christian Codependency: Was Jesus a Codependent?

Are you looking for help with Christian codependency? If you are, you are probably interested in knowing if Jesus was a codependent. Many would answer "Yes" based on the following characteristics of Jesus that are typical of codependents:

-Jesus was selfless.
-Jesus was a servant.
-Jesus gave up his life for others.
-Jesus cared deeply about people who were hurting.
-Jesus tried to fix hurting people.

All those characteristics fit Jesus; however, Jesus was NOT a codependent. He was able to care, sacrifice, give, love, and help in a healthy rather than a codependent way. Consider the following:

-Jesus was selfless by giving himself over to God's will but not the will of those he served. Even though he surrendered his own desires to God, he never lost sight of who he was (the Son of God) and what his mission was (to bring salvation to mankind). Codependents lose themselves and their purpose.

-Jesus was a servant, but he only did things for people that helped them to better themselves. His service was a demonstration of God's love that always pointed them to a better way. He wasn't a doormat, nor was he controlled by the demands of those he served. Codependents are driven by the demands of others.

-Jesus gave up his actual life for others when it was the appointed time. Prior to that even though he ministered to others daily, he took care of himself. He rested. He took time to nurture his relationship with God and his close disciples. He ate. And, he had boundaries that protected him when people tried to harm him prematurely. Codependents don't take care of themselves.

-Jesus cared deeply about the people who were hurting emotionally, spiritually, and physically and that concern propelled him to help. However, he didn't allow it to keep him from holding people accountable for their sin; therefore, he wasn't an enabler. Codependents concern for the hurting leads to enabling.

-Jesus tried to fix hurting people by offering them eternal life and the truth about God, but he didn't try to force them to accept it. When people turned him down, he allowed them to walk away because he respected their right to make their own choices. Codependents try to force people to do what they think is right.

So even though it appears that Jesus was the first Christian codependent, he was not; instead, he was a perfect example of how to care for others in a healthy way.