Spiritual Care: A Guide for Caregivers Read Online Free Page B

see spiritual needs as those areas
involved with creativity and the arts. Others see them as psychosocial needs--associated with mental health and social systems. A
person's understanding of spirituality will determine the resulting
view of spiritual needs. However, the Bible presents a distinct picture of spiritual needs.
    The foremost spiritual need that the Bible reveals is our need to
be in right relationship with God. A spiritual need is anything required
to establish and maintain a dynamic personal relationship with God. That is why the gospel is good nerve. God loved us so much that he provided for our need by sending his Son, Jesus (Jn 3:16), through
whom God "became flesh and lived among us" (Jn 1:14). His love
frees us to love others (Jn 13:34; 1 Jn 4:11-19). We are all living
lives of quiet desperation, immersed in the results of sin and in
need of forgiveness (Rom 3:23). It is through the death and resurrection of Jesus that we find forgiveness for our sin (Mt 26:28;
1 Jn 1:9) and the ability to forgive others (Col 3:13). Furthermore, we need to have our lives make sense and be purposeful.
The need to be needed is a spiritual need. We find meaning and
purpose through our relationship with God and his people, and
through the love and forgiveness we experience from them.

    According to Ephesians 1:5-14, not only does God meet our
spiritual needs, he overwhelms us with more than we could ever
imagine. He gives us a glorious purpose for our lives when we
accept the love and forgiveness that God offers us in Christ. That
lends deep meaning to every human encounter, every decision we
make and even to our illnesses and suffering.
    To summarize, all people experience three basic spiritual needs:
(1) to be loved and to love in return, (2) to experience forgiveness
and extend it to others, (3) to find meaning and purpose in life and
hope for the future. Spiritual needs can ultimately be met only by
God, but when we receive from him, the benefits overflow into
our human relationships. We become channels of God's love, forgiveness and hope. Paul explained to the Corinthians, "But we
have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that
this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from
us" (2 Cor 4:7). We may be cracked pots, but God uses us anyway.
    Spiritual needs may seem elusive. Although we may observe
the effects of unmet spiritual needs, they can be difficult to pin down or to measure. Yet there is a deep yearning in the heart of
each person to seek God and, in doing so, to find love, forgiveness
and hope. Paul explained, "So we do not lose heart. Even though
our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being
renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure,
because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be
seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen
is eternal" (2 Cor 4:16-18). Most people sense, deep down inside,
that only the eternal -the spiritual -holds real value.

What Are the Underlying Needs?
    When Connie visited Helen, she indirectly discovered that Helen
was experiencing all three spiritual needs. She felt cut off from the
love of others at church and in her family, and her loneliness hindered her relationship with God. She missed the hugs! She was
also embroiled in family controversies that settled into her heart as
bitterness. She needed to forgive and help her sons forgive one
another. Instead, she had cut off communication. She worried
about her sons and their children, and she worried about what
God thought of her. Through it all, life began to look futile. She
lost hope and the sense that God could fulfill his purpose in her.
    The Holy Spirit worked in the situation, prompting Helen to
ask for prayer. Connie prayed with sensitivity to the concerns
Helen shared with her. It was a move toward wholeness.
    To responsibly