This article will attempt to understand what all human beings from every time and space, are searching for in their brief existence on the planet earth. It will be assumed that all humans ever lived and will live have the same psychological make-up. Then it will try to explain what Jesus Christ has to offer according to the Bible. And finally, since the writer is extremely biased, it will try to persuade the reader why he should believe in Jesus Christ.
Oxfords dictionary defines satisfaction as the “fulfilment of one’s wishes, expectations, or needs, or the pleasure derived from this” and words similar to these are contentment, contentedness, content, pleasure, gratification, fulfilment, happiness, sense of well-being, pride, sense of achievement, delight, joy, enjoyment, relish and triumph (Oxforddictionaries.com, 2015).
As most human beings residing on the planet earth would probably agree, a high degree of satisfaction in life is what we all wish for. To find out what satisfaction for human beings means the pyramid of Abraham Maslow depicting the needs of human beings in different stages can be quite insightful. Those are (1) biological and physiological needs like air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sleep; (2) safety needs like protection from elements, security, order, law, stability, freedom from fear; (3) love and belongingness needs like friendship, intimacy, affection and love, -from work group, family, friends, romantic relationships; (4) esteem needs like achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, self-respect, respect from others; (5) cognitive needs like knowledge and meaning; (6) aesthetic needs like appreciation and search for beauty, balance, form; (7) self-actualization needs like realizing personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences; (8) transcendence needs like helping others to achieve self actualization (McLeod, 2007).
The bible also talks about satisfactions from John four till six. There, Jesus meets a Samaritan woman by a well when he was taking a break from his travels. He asked the woman to give him some water from the well. Jesus started to talk about the ‘living water’ opposed to this natural water: “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” John 4:13b-14 (NLT). Then, for some reason Jesus asked her to get her husband on which she responded she doesn’t have one. He responded that He already knew that and that he also knows she had five other husbands before. Perhaps he said that to show the woman she has failed to satisfy her need and that Jesus is able to meet that need. Later in John six, Jesus reasons with his disciples. He said "The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” … “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6:34-35 (NLT).
We all reach moments of fulfillment. Jesus says that through Him you will always be fulfilled. In John 10:10 he said ”The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10 (NIV). If God truly exists and he created us, He would know exactly how his creations would be completely fulfilled. And better is that He wants to have us to life a full life. He want us to life live in the way He intended for us.
Looking at what Maslow defined our human needs to be and what God wants with us, it seems both humans and God wants the same thing for us humans, creating a win-win situation. The one and only reason human beings might frown upon God’s plan for us is that by receiving Jesus’ living water and bread, we ought to believe in Him. Jesus said “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.” John 6:27-29 (NLT). Believing in Him entails being in agreement with God that we humans lack righteousness, and that the only way to become righteous is to believe in His redemption plan. This redemption plan is that we will live forever and have no pain and sorrow any longer. In order to believe that you would need quite some trust and an increase of trust requires time.
It would be unreasonable if God were to require you to trust Him completely right away. Only after a steady accumalitive flow, over a relative long period of time, of evidence of God’s goodness could increase trust in Him. And the more men is able to trust in Him, the more men is able to let go of himself, adopting the views of God and transform into His likeness, the likeness God has intended humans to be. The more men is able to let go of himself and the more he become like God, the less matter, in the sense of the physical environment humans live in and their bodies and mind, affects their life.
The reason why matter has a less affect on human beings once they believe and adopt God’s message is because of a few fundamental truths. First of all identity: God is our creator and our Father. He has made us perfectly and He loves us unconditionally. Secondly, He is our provider: when you come to believe that everything comes from God and believe that you are completely dependent on Him, you do not need to fear shortages of material and intellectual needs, thus as a side effect you would become more generous. Third, God gives eternal life. You do not need to fear dead because once you die you are raised to live and continue to live forever. The apostle Paul puts it like this: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21 (NIV). For those who believe that, the focus of what is important in life shifts from “Life is short and I only live once” to “What can I do to serve Jesus Christ”. Basically, a person who would truly believe in God’s goodness, would be free from worry. That person would believe that whatever happens to them, God is good and will make things right.
The satisfaction God has intended for humans transcends Maslow's pyramid. Maslow’s highest degree of satisfaction is accessible only to those who are able to go through the lower stages, which are currently less than one billion people. God’s model of satisfaction is accessible to all seven billion of us and promises a much higher degree of satisfaction. However, it comes at a cost much higher. As Jesus said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me (Luke 9:23 (NIV).
References
McLeod, S. (2007). Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Simply Psychology. Retrieved 2 February 2015, from http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html
Oxforddictionaries.com,. (2015). satisfaction - definition of satisfaction in English from the Oxford dictionary. Retrieved 2 February 2015, from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/satisfaction
