I know something about you that you usually keep hidden from the majority of the world. It’s not a secret, but you tend to keep it private…Guess what? You, my friend, have a Belly Button! Not a topic that regularly arises in conversation, does it? However, it is indeed a fact of human existence—you have a Belly Button. And until this very moment, I was unaware that more than two types existed. The internet has now informed me that six or seven types are defined, not just an innie or outie, but an entire variety of shapes for the navel. Who knew?!? And to be completely honest, I’m not all that interested in what type of navel you have, just that having a Belly Button is an important human quality.

In his book You’re Only Human, Kelly Kapic shares the story of encouraging college students heading home for a school break to consider taking a shower when they experience the tension of being back at home where their independence and identity are being jeopardized. The idea is that while in the shower, the student will look down at their Belly Button. “Why? Because during these times of growing pains with one’s parents, it is all too easy in today’s Western culture for us to imagine that we are self-made people.”

We live in a culture that admires grit and perseverance, and I embrace a Habit of Resilience; however, at times, focusing on cultivating this habit can lead us to believe that we are indeed self-made, thus we can benefit from the reminder that we have a Belly Button. “In the shower, each of us is reminded of something that is obvious as it is profound: we owe our very existence to others. We all have biological parents: we are part of a genealogy and have received a particular DNA. The Belly Button…has profound theological importance. It is our body’s way of reminding us that we are not self-made people, we are not separate islands, we are not merely rugged individuals. Instead, we are inevitably and necessarily bound together with others: it has been so from the beginning and always will be.”

Our Belly Button points to the fact that as human beings created in the image of God, we are finite, we are born with limitations, and this is relevant as we cultivate a Habit of Awareness. As we begin to gain knowledge about God, ourselves, and others, we see the interconnectedness that God built into humanity, and that our limitations allow us to move outside of ourselves to see how dependent we are on each other. “[A]ny attempt to live as my own center shows that I need others to understand myself, and I need them even more to be a healthy and [flourishing] human creature. That is how God made us.”

This picture of interdependency that the Belly Button provides leads me back to the concept of God-Given Space, that there is a proper balance between what God asks us to do and the tasks we are to leave for others to do. This Give and Take within our communities is vital. “Self-made. Really? No Belly Button?…We tend to admire the driven individual who seeks personal triumph more than we do the relational person who is embedded within a community. Both people clearly depend on others, but one ignores that fact (whether he buys eggs, puts on clothes, or appreciates his former teachers), while the other expresses gratitude and gives credit to those who are essential to his flourishing. But the story of the isolated hero is much easier to tell than the complicated narrative of community and mutual relations, so we focus on the superheroes.” But even superheroes have a Belly Button!

I am encouraged when I read Kapic’s words, “An accurate assessment of one’s place in the world as a particular human creature yields these two insights: (1) your very life is a gift from the Creator and Sustainer, and (2) you are a fellow creature who recognizes both your contributions and your dependencies on others.” This is what it means to live in your God-Given Space, and when you need a reminder, just take a peek at your Belly Button!

Reference:

Kapic, K.M. (2022). You’re only human: How your limits reflect God’s design and why that’s good news. Brazos Press.