Clarifying

Spiritual

Needs

The nursing profession

has traditionally viewed

the person as holistic,

though the term itself

was only introduced

into the nursing

literature in the 1980s

by Rogers, Parse,

Newman and others.

Restoring wholeness

is a legitimate goal

of nursing, and so

the term

„HOLISTIC' from

the Greek 'Holos'

meaning whole or

complete

Holism has been defined

as "concerned with the

interrelationship of

body, mind and spirit in

an ever changing

environment".

The American Holistic

Nurses Association

define wellness (health)

as "that state of harmony

between body, mind and

spirit"

Clarifying Spiritual Needs in

Terms of:

Physical or Biological

Dimension

The PHYSICAL or

BIOLOGICAL

dimension relates to

the world around us

through our five

senses

Sense of Sight

“I saw the

Lord sitting on a

throne, high and

lofty….”

(Isaiah 6:1)

God gave the sense

of sight in order to find

and hunt food. Spiritually

speaking, replace food

with that which nourishes

the soul and we can begin

to understand the

scripture above requiring

a pure heart in order to

“SEE" God.

How often do we read from

the Word of God and say

"I've never seen that before!"

or as we are going through

trial how God is showing us

something new? We seek to

do God's will. So our

spiritual eyes are only

strengthened through

viewing of God's word,

revealing His will, directing

our eyes to the Son. "Fix

your eyes on Jesus, the

author and perfector of our

faith" (Hebrews 12:2).

Sense of Hearing

“Incline your ear, and

come to me; listen, so

that you may

live.”

(Isaiah 55:3)

Our ears augment our sight

to give us a full sense of our

surroundings. We can look around

and see images, but sound brings

them to life. Wind rustling through

the trees, Water bubbling down a

brook.

This is true when

considering spiritual sight as well.

Hearing the word brings to life

what we see. We cannot have faith

without hearing the Word.

(Romans 10:17)

But spiritual hearing is

more than just listening to the

Word. In the physical world, our

sense of hearing calls to attention

what we cannot always see. "Do

not merely listen to the word . . .

do what it says" (James 1:22).

If seeing leads us to the

will of God, then listening guides

us away from the dangers of sin.

The voice of the Shepherd leads

the sheep away from harm

towards safe pasture.

Sense of Taste

“O taste and see that the

LORD is good.”

(Psalm 34:8)

Jesus described himself as the bread

of life. (John 6:48). So, what does Jesus' life

taste like?

Jesus calls us to be salt to the world

that is worthless if we do not have flavor.

(Matthew 5:13) We are warned against

bitter roots growing in our hearts. (Hebrews

12:15) Wisdom is sweet to the soul.

(Proverbs 24:14. Also God's decrees and

God's words). So taste indicates to us the

nature of what we're ingesting. Does it

enhance flavor (salt), will it make you ill

(bitter), or is it pleasurable (sweet)? But taste

can also deceive; a poisonous berry may

taste sweet. So we cannot rely on taste alone.

"Woe to those who call evil good and good

evil, who put darkness for light and light for

darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet

for bitter" (Isaiah 5:20).

Sense of Smell

“…your anointing oils

are fragrant, your name

is perfume

poured out.”

(Song of Solomon 1:3)

In the spiritual sense it is

not what we consume where

smell is important, but our own

stench that can be perceived by

God. When Noah offered a burnt

offering after stepping foot on dry

land, God was pleased by the

smell. (Genesis 8:21) In place of

a sacrificial animal, we offer

ourselves as living sacrifices

(Romans 12:1) who may smell

like death, but are actually the

aroma of Christ (2 Corinthians

2:14-16).

In the New Testament,

the Church is described as

Christ's bride. Our sacrifice is a

fragrant offering attractive to

Jesus. Applying 2 Corinthians

above, our smell is not only

important to please our groom,

but also to attract unbelievers

into the Church.

Sense of Touch

“If I only touch his cloak, I will be made

well.” (Matthew

9:21)

Spiritually, this sense of pain is just as critical

to the health of our soul. The consequences of sin

hurt our hearts with regret and shame. Meanwhile the

gospel of Jesus cuts the heart (Acts 2:37). If we feel

pain because our hand is in the fire, we act and pull it

from the flame. The same should be true when we

feel spiritual pain. However just like the leper suffers

even more harm because of numbness, we risk

eternal suffering if our hearts are allowed to become

numb. "Having lost all sensitivity, [Gentiles] have

given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge

in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for

more" (Ephesians 4:19). Feel the pain, pull yourself

out of the fire before it is too late!

Your body without soul is your

physical dimension. Your soul

without your body is your spiritual

dimension. You are alive because

both dimensions are united. Our

five senses work if the two

dimensions meet. Your brain does

not work without spiritual

dimension. The spirit exists in all

parts of your body. If any of the

part of your body is not in good

condition, the harmony of the spirit

and your body is bothered. You

need to keep your health in order

that your spirit can stay steadily in

your body.

Thank you for listening