God is like a Mom
The Bible is clear on the idea that we understand God better through relationships and comparisons to those people we know. We know what God is like and what He is not like as we interact with the world around us. Jesus told parables of familiar things to help us understand God’s character. By example, I have had some amazing friendships in my life and they all help me understand the friend Jesus is by the ways they have been a friend. Similarly, I understand the unique intimacy of the Trinity through the intimate and unique relationship I enjoyed with my husband. Every relationship helps us understand God better, even the bad ones by contrast, as they reveal the truth that we were made for something more and different and better.
Moms are a great metaphor for God’s love. Scripture even compares God to a mother in several places as He nurtures us and carries us and comforts us. God is described as gentle, compassionate, caring, comforting, loving, strong, wise and lovely as He is compared to a woman, specifically a mom!
I know a mom who is a metaphor of God by her hospitality. Her home is always open, there are snacks in the cupboard and she is really good at making others feel safe and seen. Just like God who sees and hears me. One of the most beautiful things about God is how He makes Himself available to us. He is always making our heart His home, just like a mom. I don’t think anyone is more present with a child than a mother is. They carry their children before they are born, and then, after, they spend their days kissing invisible injuries and walking them through all their emotions, even the silly stuff that doesn’t really matter in the long run.
I know moms who find things, who problem solve, who defend and who go the extra mile to make sure their kids shine and succeed. That is just like God. Even when we don’t deserve it, He cheers us on, believes in us and coaxes the best out of us. Moms often work tirelessly behind the scenes in ways we never know about. They keep track of the memories and the things that are important to their kids. It makes me think about how Mary kept all things about Jesus treasured up in her heart. I think God is like that too, always working with other people in ways we don’t know about. Like most moms, He doesn’t feel the need to let everyone know what He’s doing. I can’t wait until God finally returns to pick up His children at the second coming, we’re all going to be catching up, swapping stories, and then He’ll tell us of all the marvelous ways He was working behind the scenes in people’s lives and we had no idea. We’ll sit in humble amazement at how tireless and faithful He’s been, with us and others. Just like a mom, He made it all happen. I think that as believers we often talk about finding God and chasing after Him, but really He is, like a mother, the one who is there all along, walking behind us, encouraging us, bending down to whisper in our ears, and cleaning up after us!
A mom is like Jesus who walks along beside us, holding our hand, bandaging our wounds, feeding us, caring for us, praying for us and loving us unconditionally. I am thankful for my mom, for the moms who are great reflections of the Lord and the privilege it has been to mother two people, in spite of my failures at it. It has been my lifelong prayer that they would know Him better because I did my part in leading them to Him.