Children are foundational to health of communities made up of family units.
Understanding the context within which children are living, playing, growing, and
developing is necessary as culture influences the definition of health. However, it is easy to
focus on the physical needs of children while neglecting the emotional and spiritual needs
of children. Provide one example from the Bible of how children were served spiritually or
emotionally. Discuss how this example might inform your approach in helping culturally
diverse families holistically support their children. Identify and discuss how emotional and
mental health in children might look different based on different cultural definitions of
health.
Emotional and Social Support in Children
The Christian Biblical teachings indicate that God’s expectation of humans entails that they
should bring up their children as believers who consistently adhere to and follow their parents in
God’s footsteps. This expectation thus points out that children should reflect the godly values
instilled in them by their parents and further portray their service to God based on the teachings
passed down from one generation to another. For instance, Proverbs 22:6 teaches Christians to
guide their children on the right path during their growth and development, and when they
become adults, they will not deviate from the knowledge, wisdom, and directions instilled in
them (Nelson, 2020).
In this Biblical verse, parents are urged to bring up their children in ways that shape their
emotional and spiritual development to the extent that they become accustomed to the excellent
way of life. However, the teachings instilled should be per their parents’ direction and adhere to
God’s commands further. More precisely, it stipulates that as babies need milk from their
mothers to grow, God’s word should serve as nourishment for their emotional and spiritual
development. Culturally diverse families should bring up their children in ways that adhere to the
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teachings of the Bible and further ensure that their actions and decisions are aligned to the
message they spread from one generation to the next (Kraft, 2020). Therefore, the passage might
inform my approach to help such families as it would facilitate the evaluation of whether the
parents are good role models. If parents live per the teachings of the Bible, they will gain insight
into God’s intentions and purpose, thereby leading to the development of suitable ways of
assimilating the message and applying it in their daily lives. Nevertheless, different definitions of
health across cultures may impact children’s emotional and mental health in various ways,
depending on their applied contexts. If health is described as the state of well-being in one
culture, it may positively impact children’s emotional and mental welfare due to the
understanding of the absence of physical harm and normal functioning (Kraft, 2020).
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References
Kraft, V. (2020, January 29). Lesson 1: Nurturing our spiritual and emotional growth.
Nelson, A. (2020, January 17). 22 important Bible verses about raising children (2020).