It always amazes me that the God of the universe decided to take on a body of flesh. Even more astoundingly, rather than appearing on earth as an adult, He chose to be born of a woman and to come as a tiny and helpless baby. If you have raised your own children or spent time around an infant, you understand how totally dependent they are. They can only sustain life through the love and compassion of another human being who feeds, clothes, and cares for their needs. Isn’t it remarkable, then, that the One who created everything contained His majesty and deity in a human body and became reliant on His creation to sustain Him? To me, that thought is confounding and it speaks of God’s profound desire to understand and connect with our human experience. Though always under the watchful eye of His Heavenly Father, our Lord relied on other people to help Him grow and to find His way in the world, thus setting an example for us to do the same. 

Friend, as much as society teaches that independence is the only way to lead a fulfilled life, the truth is you were created for relationship — first and foremost with Jesus, and then with friends and family. Don’t mistake responsibility for isolation; you need to carry your own weight in the world, but the journey is only joyful and fulfilling when you share it. You were designed to be dependent — embrace that reality and your life will take on new meaning!