Nourishment for the soul
Originally posted 10 Sep 2019…
Psalm 34:8 – Taste and see that the LORD is good!
As a pediatrician, I monitor growth and development of children. While most children grow at a normal pace, others have a more difficult time staying on track. Sometimes this is due to an underlying medical condition, but it can also be due to lack of good nutrition. This is directly linked to poorer educational outcomes. And children who have special needs tend to have an even higher risk of malnutrition. Typically, once a child receives proper nutrition, they start to grow again. Their ability to learn and succeed in school also improves.
But what about malnutrition of your soul? Why do we so often neglect to nourish this equally important part of our being? I am currently preparing to speak at a ministry conference next month, specifically about how to better include children with special needs in the church. As part of my preparation, I am reading the book, “Every Child Welcome” by Katie Wetherbee and Jolene Philo. It is a ministry handbook for including kids with special needs. The entire book is based on the comparison of youth ministry to preparing to have company over for dinner. Every child, whether healthy or not, needs constant nourishment to their body and their soul in order to develop properly. The more I research this topic, the more I find that families with children with special needs are often the ones neglected (though unintentionally) by the church. And these families – just as with physical malnutrition – are often the ones in even more need of spiritual nourishment. One part of the book especially impacted me:
“Just as we create a menu to accommodate dietary restrictions, we must be sure that our children’s ministry activities accommodate the unique needs of the children in our care…. We increase the likelihood that they’ll digest the important concepts we are presenting…. We want to increase their knowledge and nourish their souls.”
And then I was again reminded that, if I hope to be the one to help nourish children’s souls, my soul better be nourished. Just as a malnourished mom cannot produce effective milk for her baby, I cannot be appropriately equipped to help every child grow in God’s love unless I have been fed first. Boom.
How are you being fed by God? How are you preparing to be used by God to nourish others?