Our 5 Emotional Needs and How Jesus Fulfils Them All
Our 5 Emotional Needs and How Jesus Fulfils Them All
A well- known evangelist once stated that he discovered five safe assumptions about all people. They are:-
1. A sense of emptiness
2. A sense of loneliness
3. A desire to be loved as they are
4. A sense of guilt
5. A fear of death
These may seem like very vast generalisations and one may choose to agree or disagree with them. Perhaps for some people, these feelings may be part of their subconscious, which many choose to ignore through the busyness of life. The evangelist went on to talk about how through a committed relationship with Jesus through the Christian faith, the above needs can be met. The following is a brief explanation about each one.
1. A Sense of Emptiness: God has created all human beings so that they can have a personal relationship with Him. Hence all of us have a big vacuum hole in our souls, that only Jesus can fill. This is why many people can still feel empty and hollow even after reaching all their goals and achieving great worldly success. Other people try to fill this emptiness with the pursuit of worldly things like money, career, relationships, sport, hobbies etc. Many of these things are not bad in themselves but they can never adequately fill that empty void in us that only God can fill. We are spiritual as well as physical beings you see. Once we find the love of God it gives us a true sense of peace.
2. A Sense of Loneliness: Many of us can feel lonely even when there are family and friends around us. This can occur especially when we are going through a unique situation or trial or have a different world view to those around us. We can often feel that no-one understands our situation. When we feel judged or misunderstood by others, it can feel isolating and lonely. The good news is that when we get to know God through Jesus, we are never truly alone because He is all seeing and all knowing. Jesus always understands what we are going through. This is so because he is all seeing and all knowing. We don’t even need to explain to Him because he sees and understands all things. When we feel alone we can always talk to him in prayer to express our thoughts and feelings and questions. Jesus can also speak to us in His still small voice and many other ways.
3. A Desire to Be Loved As They Are: All people desire to be loved and accepted. Yet, in our world today there can be a great deal of division or discrimination on the basis of : race; culture; disabilities; different viewpoints; or just for looking or being a different in some way. Even within families there can sometimes exist the “black sheep”- someone who has a different personality or interests to the rest of the group. This person may not be fully accepted by other family members.
The good news is that Jesus loves us, just as we are. After all, He is the one who created us in the first place – with all our quirks, weaknesses and strengths. In the bible book, 1 Samuel 16:7b, it says “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” Jesus also has shown his love for us because while we were still sinners, Jesus was willing to die for us, so we can be saved from sin to have eternal life. See Romans 5:6-8.
Some people think they could never approach Jesus because they do not feel “holy” enough. However Jesus invites us to come to Him just as we are. He doesn’t say to us, “fix up your lives first and reach a point of near holy perfection” and then I might consider talking to you. Instead, the whole reason why Jesus came to earth is because his original chosen people the Israelites were unable to stop sinning on their own. God ultimately knew he had to take the initiative and come down to earth to get down to “our level” to show exactly who He is, and to give us His own supernatural power to help us.
When He was on earth, Jesus made a deliberate choice to hang out with sinners and not just the “holy” people. In Matthew 9: 10-13 the religious leaders of the day questioned Jesus as to why he spends time and eats with “tax collectors and sinners”. These were often the people of “ill repute” at the time. To build a relationship with them He knew he had to show unconditional love and acceptance to them. In John 8: 1-11 Jesus goes so far as to defend and protect a woman caught in adultery who was brought before the crowds. Instead of responding with condemnation and punishment, he gives practical help full of mercy and unconditional love. It is this love and mercy that eventually makes the woman turn her life around and forsake her old ways. You see after she experienced Jesus’ love and mercy she wanted to follow him and change. She did it out of reciprocal love.
Every person wants to be loved for who they are. Once people truly feel loved and accepted, they are then given the ability to show love to others and are more willing to change for the better. You cannot give of, what you don’t have. You cannot love if your own “tank” is empty. This is why when Jesus came to earth He knew that people needed the safety and reassurance that there is someone who accepts and loves them just as they are. When people actually experience God’s love in a real way like this, it has the ability to give them a true sense of security and the potential to change people’s lives for the good.
4. A Sense of Guilt: The bible tells us in Romans 3:23 that all of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s standards. Sin is breaking any of God’s laws. Due to Adam and Eve’s sinful choice in the Garden of Eden we have all inherited a sinful nature ie a tendency to do evil. All of us have sinned against God in some way. Often this is motivated by our own selfishness, the desire to “get ahead” in life, or even to seek revenge. Many people can carry with them the guilt of these misdeeds. It can haunt them constantly in a subconscious way. It can prevent them from sleeping soundly at nights or it can take away their inner peace. Some try to compensate by doing some good works. However the sense of guilt may still linger inside their souls causing unrest.
The good news is that when we establish a loving relationship with Jesus through the Christian faith, Jesus provides us with a way to lift the guilt of sin from our lives. When we are baptised into the Catholic faith, Jesus gives us the gift of His salvation. Because he died on the cross, this means he has taken the punishment for all our past sins so that we can now have eternal life with Him. After this conversion process, we can then confess any future sins through the Sacrament Confession to a Catholic Priest. (This can be done anonymously not just face to face). This enables us to be free from the guilt of sin. The act of confession also strengthens and helps us to overcome the sin in the future. Many people who make a genuine Act of Confession with a truly sorrowful heart, testify to a feeling of peace and lightness after going through this process. It is like a burden has been lifted from their souls.
5. A Fear of Death: Most people do not look forward to the prospect of dying especially if they are unsure of what will happen to them after death. The good news is that when we get to know Jesus through the Catholic faith, it provides us with the truth about what happens to people after they die. It will also give us the means and power to attain eternal life so that we can spend eternity with our loving Heavenly Father in heaven. Death however will always bring sadness and grief especially for the family and friends who are left here on earth. However we always have hope because in knowing Jesus, death is never final. When we choose to live our lives through loving God, we can look forward to re-uniting with our loved ones one day in “Paradise” – a place where there will be no more “mourning, crying or pain”. Revelation 21:4.
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6. Financial Needs: this has been added to give extra hope and assurance. The bible tells us that if we choose to “seek first God’s kingdom” or choose to serve God and others according to His will for our lives , he promises to provide for all our physical needs like food clothing and shelter. See Luke 12:31-33. This does not mean we do not work hard (he could provide through gainful employment for instance ). It does not necessarily mean we will live in the lap of luxury. It does not mean we will never go through trials. However God is a generous God. He knows that we need food, drink, clothes and a roof over our heads – otherwise we could not work properly and serve others in God’s kingdom! He is not so stingy that he will not provide for us. Instead if we choose to work hard and co-operate with God, He is generous and giving and promises to give us what we need. This has to be re-assuring especially in the difficult economic times we are living in today.