Followers of Jesus, however, are encouraged to live quite differently. You will not find any inspirational bumper stickers with Bible verses that celebrate independence and self-sufficiency. (You will find verses about hard work, however! Just none about working with only your own power.) Nope, God’s will for us is actually the exact opposite. This sweet verse from Psalm 63 sums it up perfectly.

I cling to you; your right hand upholds me. -Psalm 63:8

I cling to you!! Clinginess is definitely not on the list of admirable attributes in today’s world! In fact, clinginess is actually a detriment in many instances. In a relationship, someone who’s too clingy might get the boot. In the workplace, a clingy employee could get docked for not showing enough autonomy and self-motivation. Clinginess often equates to neediness, insecurity and even desperation. But not in God’s economy! God loves clingy people. In fact, He longs for them. 

*We might try to avoid people who are threatening to wear us down with their neediness, but God welcomes them in.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” -Matthew 11:28-30

*We might try to avoid people who don’t understand the concept of personal space, but God not only welcomes them in, He pulls in closer.

Come near to God and he will come near to you. -James 4:8a

*We might try to break free from people who depend on watching us in order to know what next step to take, but God literally invites us to be His copycat.

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. -Ephesians 5:1-2

See what I mean? God loves clingy people. His goal is not for His people to get so good at navigating life that they don’t need Him anymore. Is that a parent’s objective while raising children? Probably! (Hopefully!) But, again, God’s kingdom is different. His goal is for us to stay as connected to Him as possible. In John 15, Jesus tells us that He is the vine, and we are the branches. Have you ever seen a random branch from an apple tree just sitting on the grass all by itself, disconnected from its tree? Well, perhaps you have. But it definitely wasn’t sitting over there on its own bearing healthy fruit. Just as the branch must stay connected to the vine, so we must stay connected to Jesus, depending on Him at all times for all things. He yearns for this closeness. 

John 15:4 says, “Remain in me, as I also remain in you.” Different Bible versions say:

• Abide in me.
• Get your life in me.
• Remain joined to me.
• Dwell in me.
• Stay united with me.
• Share my life.

Those are not the words of a god who needs personal space, and they’re certainly not the words of a god who is sitting up in Heaven wondering when you will finally figure things out enough to live successfully on your own without His help. NOT AT ALL. Those are the words of our God, who desires closeness with His children. They’re the words of our God, who invites us into the most intimate, clingy relationship of all time. When you feel like you can’t do a single thing without talking to God about it first, then He is at His happiest. When you can’t even function properly until you’ve spent time reading your Bible each day, then He is absolutely thrilled. When you’re so clingy that your life feels upside down on a week when you missed church or Bible study, then surely God can’t help but dance a little joyful jig. 

So cling away. There’s no need to strive for independence in the kingdom of God. Cling to Him like your life depends on it. …because, actually, your life of fullness and joyful contentment in Christ does depend on YOU depending fully on HIM. So cling away.