THE NEED TO BE NEEDED

The natural human tendency when in need is to mainly want to receive; during those times the majority of us don’t feel the urgency to give, especially if the immediate result from something we do does not meet our expectations.

Loosing a job is in every case shocking and at times life changing, specially when not ready financially. Searching to fill the need of your love ones is no doubt the right thing to do. If this happens to you, I suggest to take a little time to plan as a family and to find ways to cut cost. However, two things you should never cut are “family time” and “helping others”. Family time is investing love, teaching and learning from each other; your children will learn tremendously from these times. Investing time in helping others has awesome benefits for everyone, including you (the Word of God says "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you."  There are plenty of scripture to help with this, here are a few https://insider.pureflix.com/news/helping-others-13-bible-scriptures-on-giving.

It seems to me that the giver gives even when they have less; sometimes more than those who feel their own needs have been met…I refer to examples such as: “a mom goes without sleep so the sick child feels better”, “a group a homeless may help each other survive”. A good example is given to us the story in Luke 21 “As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury.  He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

I think Steve Rose, PhD is right in saying that “The need to be needed is an individual’s sense of significance rooted in the sense of being part of a community or cause beyond themselves”  https://steverosephd.com/the-need-to-be-needed/

I also think that Steve Rose, PhD is right in saying that “Although we need to feel needed, we need to be mindful if this turns into a form of addiction”. However, I believe that having a heart to help others (without seeking your own benefit) is never wrong.

While I don’t have a doubt that all of us have it in us to want to help somehow, the reality is that the majority of us have to be constantly encouraged to help / to give our time to make a difference for others in need...the fact is that once we give, we learn how good it feels.

We must awake the part of us that sees the need of others. That’s why the principle for the “Pay-it-Forward Networking Programs” described in Philippians 2:4 is so important: "Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others."

After all, the Creator of the universe promises us the following: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11)