Back to the Hierarchy of Need

-

Today feels like a day of light, of revelation, of increased understanding and 'allowance' for feeling the way I have felt in South Sudan. 

I've been thinking a lot about Maslow's Hierarchy of Need, and am now trying to apply it to myself personally, as well as to the context around me. The premise is that you do not choose your level of need, you move between the levels, but you cannot progress up until your needs further down have been met.

I come from a background of having all my basic and psychological needs met, and therefore I am in need of self-fulfilment, the highest level - feeling like I am doing a good job in every area of life. 

But I think I have descended down a level or 2 while being here. Whereas at home, my psychological needs were being met, here, they are not. My need for accomplishment and esteem remain unmet as my job is not busy, not 'out there' in the community as I'd anticipated, and not (seemingly) making any kind of difference or impact. 

Also, my relational needs are not always being met. I'm so grateful for family on the phone, and for new friends here, but a lot of the long-term and deep connections are not the same here as at home. Of course, Steve is my joy and I am so grateful to be here with him, but he is not able to meet all my needs for love and belonging! And God is here with me, and He is able to meet all my needs, but I am not always good at coming to Him for help. 

Which means, I literally have more needs than usual!

I have not appreciated this, even though God has been telling me to go back to the Hierarchy of Need over and over again! I have just looked at it and felt guilty about how my colleagues and our South Sudanese brothers and sisters have 'basic' needs unmet, and I am right at the top feeling under-utilised and disappointed at work... there's been a lot of guilt, some self-loathing, and discomfort over the disparity. 

But no more. I want to come to God acknowledging my needs and asking for help. I've spent a huge amount of time complaining and ruminating, but not much time asking for help.

Lord, 

Saviour of my soul and life day by day, come and be my acknowledged Boss and Friend. I give you my needs today - for life-giving relationships, for accomplishment, and for fulfilment. These things weigh heavily on me, and I ask for help. 

In Jesus' name. 

When needs are not met...

The flip side to the Hierarchy of Need is what happens, and what is felt, when needs are not met. 

Failure to meet different needs has different consequences.

Unmet 'basic' needs result in illness, insecurity and even death. Unmet 'psychological' and 'self-fulfilment' needs result in anxiety and depression. 

This feels so obvious, and yet it has shone a light today! I have more needs than usual, and when they are unmet, there are consequences. Duh! There is a reason for feeling depressed - I have not received what was needed. And instead of being clear on this, my head has been swirling, unable to see what was missing. I am grateful to feel a bit clearer today. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

8 weeks on, 2 weeks off

-
Image
It is 2 days until we go on R&R and a week's holiday, and I'm so happy about it! We tend to work in 8-9 week cycles, then take minimum 1 week off (it is called R&R - rest and recuperation) and often people will tack on one week of annual leave to give a 2 week break. The unlucky ones work up to 11 or 12 weeks before taking a break, but the wear and tear begins to show at about week 7, so Steve and I are fortunate to be going at the right time. In 2 days time! The slump hit me last week and I was less able to perform fairly simple tasks. Cumulative tiredness. I know that parents of young children will have no sympathy (and quite right too), but the routine here is a lot more than I am used to. The working days are long, the mornings are early, my work phone is on 24/7 and goes off during the night at least a couple of times a week, usually for pretty minor stuff which still needs addressing. It is not super-intense morning til night, but there are constant interruptions,...
Read more

Resurrection

-
Image
Why does it matter if Jesus came back to life again? 1 Corinthians 15:13-19 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.   And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.   More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised.   For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either.   And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins .   Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.   If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied . Coming up to Easter, I have been thinking about whether the resurrection is really important. I believe Jesus took into himself every single sin that every believer has ever done and will do, and he took up...
Read more

Hidden purposes

-
Image
Forgive the introspection which seems to be a big part of my thought life here in South Sudan! (The problem with introspection is that it doesn't always bring sufficient answers which lead to peace, however, it can also launch us into conversation with God which does bring peace.) There may have been moments in your life where you find you are thinking 'why'... for me, I have had an undercurrent of 'why' running throughout our time in South Sudan so far. In human terms - this was a bad decision. I cannot remember being less happy! The things I want to do, I can't. The things I think I 'need' aren't here. The comforts I run to are not available. And the big 'reason' I came has been met with disappointment - I haven't seen much classic, hands-on Humanitarian work yet.  But God gave me a new perspective this morning. What if there are hidden purposes which are the reasons God has brought Steve and me here? What if He is doing an important t...
Read more