The Attachment Cycle

Psychology and emerging neuroscience highlight the reality of this innate need for connection through the attachment cycle. This cycle demonstrates that for a growing child, relationship is key. When a baby cries (expresses a need) and the caregiver comes to meet that need, the baby learns that they matter, have a voice, and are loved; the baby uses the felt security of their attachment figure as a base for “exploring and coming to understand the world” (Karen Purvis Institute of Child Development, “TBRI® Animate: Attachment,” YouTube video, uploaded June 21, 2018, https://youtu.be/nIhATiiM-Pw). The healthy expression of the attachment cycle, however, mimics exactly how we see God meeting our own needs, starting in the creation story and stretching throughout the biblical narrative. No wonder God wants us to understand him as Father first and foremost, according to Jesus (Matthew 6:9– 13).