Thursday 18 December 2014

Reuben the image bearer

Our son is made in the image of God

Human beings are made in the image of God. That means lots of things. We're creative, we rule, we're communicative, and we're relational. In the beginning, when The Lord was creating, he declared "good"over everything. That is until he made a solitary man. In all of creation, the only thing that was "not good" was that this man was alone. After the Lord had made a woman for the man, he then stood back, admired his handiwork and with satisfaction declared that the universe that he made was "very good". (Note that, feminists; God thinks the addition of women is the icing on the cake!)

This makes sense when we think about the nature of God. A triune God. A loving community. Father, Son and Spirit loving each other from eternity past. If the creator of all things is by definition a relational community, then it makes sense that human beings are wired not to be solitary creatures but to live in community too.

Which takes me to our son Reuben. Reu is six months old. He's (most of the time) pretty easy to please. He has some physical needs that he needs us to meet. He needs food when he's hungry, he needs sleep when he's tired, he needs to be bathed, changed and kept clean and dry. He's needs to be kept a happy temperature. But even if all these things have been seen to and he's perfectly content, he still needs one other very important thing, he needs company.

Reu is a little human being and he's a social creature. Nothing starts him crying more quickly then when I walk out of a room. He hates being alone. That's why he's happiest when he's playing with someone, when he's being cuddled and sung to, when he's sleeping in our bed (we're trying not to love it so much, and break the habit!) But of course he loves these things, because he's one of God's image bearers. And while he will become more independent from us as parents as he gets older, and while these years of physical affection and constant cuddling are short lived, Reuben will never outgrow his need for relationships. He will always crave them and I pray his life will be full of satisfying and loving relationships.

So as I struggle to do any housework because my little boy wants me to carry him, or as I relent and let Reu sleep in bed with me because it stops him crying, or as I flinch because as he tries to affectionately stroke my face but ends  up scratching it to pieces, I just need to remember this; he's acting according to his God given desire to be in community.

It's not good for Reu to be alone. I'll remember this the next time he scuppers my plans.