Everyone has needs & attempts to satisfy them, beginning with universal physiological needs for sustenance, good health, & safety. Once those basic needs are met, we’re then freed to focus on more psychological & spiritual needs. Psychologist A.H. Maslow described these needs some 80 years ago as a hierarchy. Someone then put them in the shape of a pyramid to visualize their ascending order of importance. Christian author Joseph Aldrich, over 40 years ago, reframed it theologically, showing that human needs point to our design for dependence on God. I addressed the basic needs last time.
As we move up the pyramid, we especially see how the Good News of Jesus is relevant to our search for significance—every need is matched by some facet of the Gospel. Keep in mind, though, that your position on the pyramid is never secure. Like the game of Chutes & Ladders, you never know when you’re going to slide back down because of a stroke, the death of a loved one, or an unexpected financial reversal.
The need for love & belongingness is the next level. When we miss out on the love of God, we may go looking for love in all the wrong places. He’s the only one who can satisfy that need with a perfect, everlasting love. He meets our loneliness with constant companionship. He treasures & listens to us. You can say, “I may not matter to anyone else, but I matter to God.” He promises, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Heb. 13:5).
He also provides a spiritual family in the Church where we’re called to love one another (John 13:34-35, Rom. 12:10). This is a major reason why we gather weekly—it’s not just to honor God, but to experience community with those who share our faith & values, & can encourage us (Heb. 10:25). It’s a powerful thing to be greeted, welcomed, & accepted as a sibling in the Lord! Some may not desire that kind of fellowship until they experience grief or setback. That’s when they wish they had those kinds of friends who can help comfort & bear their burdens (2 Cor. 13:11, Gal. 6:2).
We also all have a need for esteem—that is, a sense of self-worth. Every person needs to feel valuable & worthwhile. But where we find our true significance is in knowing that I matter to God. He made me in His image, knows my name, & gave HIs life for me. He gives me an identity the world can’t—not based on my accomplishments, but simply on who I belong to & who I am in Christ.
The world may think me a loser or failure, but God says otherwise! God forgives my shortcomings, erases my guilt, & offers a sense of confidence no matter what the world says. He works in me to transform & change me for the better (Rom. 12:2)! As I grow to become more like Him, that’s what makes me feel better about myself.
Once all our other needs are satisfied, then we feel the need to become as much as we can be—to realize our potential. So at the top of Maslow’s hierarchy is self-actualization. People can acquire all that’s called “the good life,” climbing to the pinnacle of personal achievement, but arrive empty. Like the proverbial hamster on the wheel, they chase after things that ultimately don’t matter, don’t fulfill, & don’t last.
That emptiness can be called a “God-shaped vacuum.” Only God can fill it. Self-actualization to the fullest extent isn’t even possible apart from a relationship with Jesus Christ, who is the key to any real meaning & fulfillment in your life. God has designed you, knows you best, & has a plan for your life. He says, “Let me guide your life.” As you follow HIs purposes, & partner with Him in His work of building His kingdom, it’s tremendously satisfying to feel used by Him for impacting people for eternity!
Jesus is the answer. He can heal bodies, provide endurance to cope with disease or disability, deliver from burdensome habits, put marriages back together, bless with financial stability, & more. But we aren’t guaranteed those things. Our faith cannot be “me-centered,” always questioning, “What’s in it for me? What have you done for me lately? Give more goodies!” Even if God doesn’t do any of those things, He is still worthy of our trust, honor, & devotion. He has forgiven our sins, filled us with the Holy Spirit, given us the hope of eternal life, & rescued us from hell. What He did at Calvary is sufficient. Anything beyond that is bonus!
Wherever you are on that pyramid, let Him satisfy your soul. Then share it with those who are helpless, hurting, & heartsick. This understanding can help us sympathize with unbelievers, provide for unmet needs, & offer them solutions only Jesus can provide. Good works open the door for the Good News.