It can be argued that human motivation to meet needs exists at hierarchical levels of criticality. That is, we must meet our most basic needs at the base of the hierarchy before we’re motivated to pursue needs at a higher level. So if we’re deprived of food, water or shelter, we will first deal with our deprivation before we concern ourselves with higher needs.
Welcome to episode one of our new series, Human.
According to a Review of General Psychology survey, published in 2002, Abraham Maslow was the tenth most cited psychologist of the 20th century. Maslow is famous for introducing the concept of human motivation being driven by satisfying needs hierarchically. He first introduced his idea in a paper titled “A Theory of Human Motivation.”
The needs at the top of the hierarchy are more apt to be thought of as concerns for people of privilege. The rest of us are busy trying to make ends meet. However, our need to be all that we can be is a part of our humanity. Self-actualization is important for everyone. Just like hunger, we must satisfy our need to be seen by others and ourselves as the person God created us to be in order to feel satisfied.
Kendra Cherry, writing for VeryWellMind, offers a tutorial on Maslow’s pyramid, including some of the criticism and expansions on his theory. Maslow’s pyramid helps to explain why Jesus focused so much on helping those without to meet basic needs and insists His followers do likewise.
But Jesus never stopped there. Luke tells us that Jesus was in church one day when He noticed a bent-over woman in attendance. Jesus stopped what He was doing and attended to her affliction. Immediately, the woman straightened up and praised God for her freedom.
The officials were indignant about what Jesus did and reminded the crowd that He was wrong to do so on a church day. But the crowd ignored them. What they witnessed blew them away. However, they focused on the physical miracle overlooking the rest of the story.
This story is short and easily passed by as yet another example of Jesus healing a person only to be criticized by His critics. The healed person goes on with life, Jesus goes on with His ministry, and His critics go on looking for a way to discredit Jesus and put Him in His place.
But scripture is too full of life to be dismissed without impact. There is so much more to this story when we dig deeper into its meaning. Beginning with what it means to be bent over.
When a person is bent over, it is difficult to see ahead. A lot of us walk around bent over, unable to see beyond our next step. And this month’s celebration of the LGBTQ+ community offers plenty of examples.
In a People Magazine article titled “Everything You Need to Know About Pride Month,” Andrea Wurzburger and James Mercadante offer historical context, while reminding us the ACLU reports 515 pieces of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation are under consideration around the U.S. You may remember two years ago Florida’s Governor proudly signed legislation dubbed as the “Don’t Say Gay” law.
Another example are Oklahoma lawmakers, who, earlier this year, introduced over 50 bills targeting the LGBTQ+ community. One bill, according to an Oklahoman article, penalized public school employees for asking a student their pronouns. Meanwhile, the state’s chief education officer is now requiring all schools to incorporate the Bible and the Ten Commandments into curriculums.
What a difficult predicament lawmakers in Oklahoma created. The Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction argued teaching the Bible is necessary “to have an understanding of the basis of our legal system.” If this is true, then enacting laws that discriminate against the LGBTQ+ community is inconsistent with our basis of law.
This is what it means to be bent over. These are examples of the sort of evil spirits that cause us to walk bent over and unable to see ahead.
Luke tells us that when Jesus placed His hands on the bent over woman, at once she straightened herself up and praised God.
Jesus placed His hands on her, and at once she straightened herself up and praised God.
Luke 13:13
Jesus did more than heal the woman’s physical condition. Jesus restored her potential to be the person God created her to be. The woman arrived at church that day with some of her most basic physical needs unfulfilled. But she left church free to pursue her need for self-actualization. She rejoined her community with new insights into God, herself, and the world around her.
Luke doesn’t tell us what happened next. We can fill in the blanks with our own story. What comes next for us when we’re able to be all that God created us to be?
In our companion book for this series, Leo Buscaglia reminds us, “We can choose to be born again at any time and accept the challenge of the selves we have yet to meet.”
But he also warns us we’ll face pressure to conform to the needs of others. And pressure to conform as others try to squeeze us into their narrow mold. A mold created by the visions of bent over persons.
In his book, Buscaglia writes, “We usually discover that the emotional impotence, apathy, and the lack of understanding and resistance to change we see in others is really our own… We are they. We create our own private trap and are blind to the fact that it is of our own making.”
As we conclude the celebration of Pride Month. Let us praise God for each other’s uniqueness. And may God place His hands on us so we also can see ahead.
You can join us each Sunday in person or online by clicking the button on our website’s homepage – Click here to watch. This button takes you to our YouTube channel. You can find more information about us on our website at FlintAsburyChurch.org.
A reminder that we publish this newsletter that we call the Circuit Rider each week. You can request this publication by email. Send a request to FlintAsburyUMC@gmail.com or let us know when you send a message through our website. We post an archive of past editions on our website under the tab, Connect – choose Newsletters.
Pastor Tommy
Parts of our series was inspired by Leo Buscaglia. Personhood: The Art of Being Fully Human. NY: Random House,1986.
Kendra Cherry, MSEd. Reviewed by David Susman, PhD. “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.” © VeryWellMind, April 02, 2024. Retrieved from: link
Andrea Wurzburger and James Mercadante. “Everything You Need to Know About Pride Month.” © People Magazine, June 5, 2024. Retrieved from: link
Alexia Aston. “Oklahoma legislature considering over 50 bills targeting LGBTQ+ issues. What do they say?” © Oklahoman, April 26, 2024. Link