大象传媒

Annie is the baby daughter of two of my doctor friends I live with. I remember a time when I hadn鈥檛 seen Annie for a little while, and in the interim I鈥檇 grown a moustache. When I said hello to her for the first time in a month, Annie freaked out.聽

Perhaps it was the fact that my facial hair (at 31) is patchy and horrible to look at. Perhaps it鈥檚 because Annie is a fashionable baby and moustaches aren鈥檛 fashionable, unless you鈥檙e trying to look like a cop from a 1980s film. But most likely, the reason she was distressed is that she did not recognise me as 鈥渢rustworthy Tom鈥�, an alright guy who feeds her snacks, takes her on walks and changes the occasional nappy.聽

I felt a little heart-broken that she was so distressed, so putting all my 1980s cop aspirations aside I went straight to the bathroom and shaved off my face caterpillar. Annie instantly recognised me, and when I hugged her this time, she lent her little head on my chest in the most adorable manner.

Annie鈥檚 dependent existence makes me slightly jealous. She gets fed, she gets to wear dungarees, and she gets cuddles. It鈥檚 very different to my own existence. Like many adults I take pride in my independence, but I also聽secretly聽want to form those deep relationships where I can depend on others, especially in times of trouble.聽

Even though as adults we don鈥檛 cry聽every聽time we see a man with a moustache (though we might want to), dependence is a scary thing. Perhaps, because we know people can fail us.聽

Which is why I find it challenging that Jesus regularly says, that we should become聽like聽little children: to trust and depend on God. For me, trusting God has been coming to know God through prayer, the bible, and listening to God鈥檚 voice. And in my experience, God has proven to be trustworthy.聽

But perhaps the key question is, would Jesus shave off his moustache for me?

What I love about the God of the bible is that: I believe God himself came as a baby to find me. As a child Jesus was dependent on Mary and Joseph, and he ultimately died, that I might come to know, trust, and depend on him.