As I continue my thoughts on individual approaches to providing services, I want to reflect on a story about Jesus that has challenged me recently.
A teacher of the law came to Jesus and said to him, Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go. Being described as a teacher of the law, this man was clearly a wise person who had some influence on others. He had been challenged by the words of Jesus and had been thinking about what it would mean to follow Jesus.
Jesus’ reply was curious. He replied: , “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” This was certainly not the reply of your average leader who is trying to get together a following of fans and supporters.
This reply got me thinking about what person-centredness means to us in providing services to people who are in need of support. Jesus did not reject the man, but he made it clear that his decision involved some personal reflection. If he was going to follow Jesus, there would be no comfortable hotel rooms or long lunches and he would need to make some changes to his lifestyle.
Person-centredness means that we must be aware of an individual’s preferences, needs and abilities. But what happens if one of the needs of that person is to be challenged to grow and change and they are not aware of that need or are resistant to change?
How would you maintain person-centredness in such a situation?
No comments:
Post a Comment