Spiritual Care: At the Beginning, In the Middle and At the End of Life

Where do you think a person needs the most and intense spiritual care in the course of a life?  Would it be as a child, a teenager, a young or median aged adult, or in the senior years?  That’s a hard question to answer for me and maybe hard for you to answer as well.   As a hospital chaplain there is no doubt that much of my time is willingly and humbly spent caring for senior adult patients and those nearing the end of life.  But I want to make the case for the idea, somewhat self-evident, that all aged people need spiritual care and the individual has the task of finding ways to meet those needs.

I remember our oldest daughter’s “baby dedication” at Emmanuel Baptist Church in West Chester, PA in late 1989.  I was so proud of her and she was a delight.  I still remember the pink bow/ribbon and beautiful pink dress she adorned.  I felt very proud and greatly humbled to be part of the service where she was dedicated to God and I was dedicating myself to raise her up in the ways of the LORD.  Children are the beneficiaries of the spiritual work and dedication that parents exercise and those actions can include bringing them to religious training classes, regular worship and special events like Vacation Bible School. 

Eventually kids grow up and they have to decide for themselves how they will chart their spiritual journeys.  Which books will they read?  Will they attend services?  Will they go with their parents?  Those questions become more open ended and answerable by the growing and maturing teen and young adult.  Eventually, a person in young adulthood tests their faith and follows the similar road of parents or maybe even goes in the total opposite direction.  Then, at some point, middle aged adults have the task of finding ways to remain faithful to their religious ideals or to chart new spiritual goals.  Here’s my point:  Spiritual needs and growth can happen at all ages, not just end of life or in the senior adult years. 

Self-awareness and self-reflection are two very important focal points for spiritual growth.  Looking inward to one’s emotions, spiritual beliefs, and values helps one to gain a more sure understanding of one’s present condition.  Looking outward to God, nature, a higher power, or even more spiritually minded people can be healthy and helpful too.  There are many spiritual caregivers in the world who are more than willing to help us on our journey.  That may be a chaplain, a pastor, a rabbi, an imam, or a pastoral counselor.  Challenges throughout the life cycle will surely come.   When those tests appear, don’t forget to find a spiritual caregiver who can guide you and help you regardless of one’s age or one’s problems and needs.  The time for spiritual growth is always today and always now.  May you be blessed as you spiritually grow and develop in the coming days and months.