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Paul greets us with the words, “Grace to
you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” We remember praying
using the words that our Savior taught us, “Our Father who are in Heaven.” From the
cross, Jesus says “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” And I am sure
that we all can come up with many more references to God as father in our teachings.
Despite these references that refer to God’s maleness, our Jewish and Christian tradition
teaches us that we can think about how God is both like a mother and like a father while
being neither male nor female. This observation that God also has female attributes can
be seen throughout the Bible. We can especially see this teaching in the motherly
actions that God does for each of us.
One of the unique relationships a mother has with her child is when the child is in the
mother’s womb. No one else can be closer to another human than this. The mother,
using her body, provides blood, breath, and bread for her child. God has done the same
for us (Acts 17:2628.). God has carried us and God has provided us with all we need for
life.
After carrying her child for nine months, the labor of birth comes. Mothers struggle to
bring their children into the world. One ancient technique to ease labor pain is by
controlling the mother’s breathing. The birth mother along with the mother’s coach work
to focus the mother’s breathing so the mother knows that there is a time for rest, a time for
labor, and a time for birth. We hear the same images for God (Isaiah 42:14.). God has
kept still while God’s people were in captivity. God has waited to deliver us. At the
fullness of time, God cried out, like a woman in labor, gasping and panting to deliver us
from our captivity to sin.
After the baby is born, you can always spot the new mother. She carefully holds and
caresses her child. She does not let the baby out of her sight. God does the same for us.
We never leave God’s sight. God bends down, like a mother, and checks on us. For no
reason at all, like a mother, God will lift us up and hold us against God’s cheeks (Hosea
11:4.).
As the child grows into a toddler, the mother is there teaching the toddler to walk.
Leaning over and leading the child with her fingers, the mother teachers her toddler how
to walk. When the child stumbles, she will grab for her baby out of harm’s way. When
the inevitable fall occurs and the toddler is hurt, the mother picks up her baby, cuddles,
comforts, and heals the wound. God has the same passion for us that a mother has for her
child. God teaches us everything and God is there to heal our wounds (Hosea 11:3.).
All throughout our lives, we suffer many different hurts. We skin our knees and break
our hearts. When we cry, our mothers are normally the ones who come to us and comfort
us. God promises to help us through the rough times. During our lives here on earth,
God the Father sends to us the Holy Spirit stays with us through the thick and the thin
(John 14:26.). When we die, God will continue to be with us. There God will remove the
pain that we all feel and God will wipe every tear from our eyes (Revelation 21:4.).