The Motherhood of God
Just to be clear, this is not a post about feminism. I don't consider myself a feminist, per se, although my husband says I am when my five-foot-tall self tries to do everything myself and exert myself as bigger than I am. Anyway. This is not about feminism. It's about the completeness of God and His character.
My whole life, I've heard God referred to as Father. I've listened to many lessons and sermons about how He is the Father to the fatherless. And He is. Through Jesus, He adopts us as sons and daughters. What a gift! Jesus Himself referred to God as the Father, and I don't discount that at all.
But if God is who He says He is--all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present, the alpha and the omega--then He is both Mother and Father to us all.
Look for a moment at Hosea 11. I came across this passage once when reading through the Bible, a journey I highly recommend. In this section, the minor prophets, I read page after page of God's disappointment with Israel. Over and over, the people sinned, they repented, God blessed them, then they strayed again. Then we arrive at Hosea 11, the chapter aptly titled, "The Lord's Love for Israel:
When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called My son.
The more they called them,
the more they departed from Me.
They kept sacrificing to the Baals
and burning offerings to idols.
It was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
taking them in My arms,
but they never knew that I healed them.
I led them with human cords,
with ropes of love.
To them I was like one
who eases the yoke from their jaws;
I bent down to give them food. (Hosea 11: 1-4, HCSB)
Doesn't this paint a picture of God's love, much like a mother's love? Teaching the children how to walk, embracing them, healing them, bending down to feed them. And then the heartbreaking, gut-wrenching pain of watching them fall. And yet, even in God's anger:
How can I give you up, Ephraim?
How can I surrender you, Israel?
I have had a change of heart;
My compassion is stirred!
I will not vent the full fury of My anger;
I will not turn back to destroy Ephraim.
For I am God and not man,
the Holy One among you;
I will not come in rage. (Hosea 11:8a-b, e-f, 9-10, HCSB)
Y'all, let's be real. Only Mamas say, "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out!" And those same Mamas turn in compassion. How can I give you up? One more verse to prove my point:
For this is what the Lord says:
I will make peace flow to her like a river,
and the wealth of nations like a flood;
you will nurse and be carried on her hip
and bounced on her lap.
As a mother comforts her son,
so I will comfort you,
and you will be comforted
in Jerusalem. (Isaiah 66:12-13)
Our God's love is both fierce and compassionate, providing and nurturing. All the goodness you'd find in a perfect father, combined with the best of a mother's character. As mothers and fathers, we all resemble Him in some of these ways, but He encompasses all these characteristics. And His love for us is complete!
So, on this Mother's Day, no matter what your life looks like, you are loved by God better than any earthly father and more than any earthly mother. You can run to Him with your hurts, and depend on Him to care for your needs. His love for us is complete and we can only be complete in Him. Happy Mother's Day!!
