I Love “Punch,” the Japanese Monkey
“The Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.”
Punch, a baby Japanese macaque monkey, was born in captivity, and his mother rejected him. He was abandoned, and young monkeys often die when abandoned. The videos showed that he desperately tried to cling to her, only to be rebuffed. For whatever reason, other monkeys followed suit, and the tribe ignored poor Punch.
The zookeepers wanted to assist poor Punch without resorting to forceful manipulation to make them comply. The zookeepers offered Punch a stuffed monkey that would at least provide the young monkey with a sense of comfort, bonding, and affection. Long story short, Punch bonded with the stuffed “mother,” and the other monkeys were curious about the stuffed monkey and warmed up to Punch.
Punch’s story upset millions of people and became a social media sensation. I am not alone in believing that people relate because levels of abandonment at different moments of life occur for many people. Annie Tanasugarn, PhD, wrote an article entitled “What Psychology Teaches Us About Punch the Monkey, Attachment, Loss, and Adaptation.” Tanasugarn asserts, “Childhood neglect and abandonment don’t only affect how you learn to love others, they affect what you believe to be true about yourself, along with your expectations of love, intimacy, and protection.” Abandonment impacts our ability to relate to others, often for the rest of our lives.
A central Biblical theme is God’s nurture and not abandoning God’s people. God does not abandon the Israelites, even during slavery in Egypt. God does not abandon the people in the Babylonian Exile. God does not abandon the people, even after God’s Son, our Lord, Jesus, is murdered on the cross. It helps psychologically and spiritually to reflect on our moments of hurt and abandonment. What impact has our hurt made on our lives? How does it continue to affect our relationships? Finally, how does trusting God help bring restoration? God is our omnipotent creator, redeemer, and sustainer, but God is also so humbly intimate, whom we carry around, providing warmth, care, and attachment. Can we be so bold as to celebrate God as our life-fulfilling stuffy?
