For May 16, 2026
Beyond Basic Necessities by Greg Holmes, D.MIN – Director of Missions serving 17 churches
A SEMINAL secular work on the *psychology of human development indicates that there are five stages of need each of us must satisfy to achieve a fairly reasonable level of happiness in life. These needs range from the basic physiological needs such as food, shelter, and clothing to the realization of our best selves. If the lower order of need is not met, then we cannot motivate ourselves to strive to the next need in the stage of hierarchy. The first four stages are stated as deficiency needs, all of which must be realized successively before the consummation of the highest need, self-actualization, is achieved.