This month the community celebrates Mother’s Day, a day that for many can be a wonderful time to share gratitude and love between mothers and children. For some, however, the day may bring other feelings—sadness, grief, or disappointment. Some of us are missing a mother who has passed away, some of us wish that we had more healthy relationships with our mothers or children, and still others of us want children and don’t have them. Mother’s Day can be a reminder of the joy of the gift of family and it can also be a reminder of that which we no longer have or never had.
But whether Mother’s Day is a joyous or difficult occasion, I think it is an excellent opportunity for all of us to reflect on the mothering aspects of God. As we know, there are many images for God found throughout the Bible and in Christian tradition. Most of the images are male but there are female images as well. One that is particularly relevant to Mother’s Day is found in Luke chapter 13. Jesus says, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem… How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings!” This gives us the image of God as a mother hen, drawing her chicks into the safety and comfort provided by the loving embrace of her wings.
Another image of a mothering God that has been on my mind recently is the image of the “babywearing” mother. Some mothers choose to carry their babies in a sling on their person most of the time. This doesn’t work for all families, but when it does work it can be a beautiful thing. And I wonder what it would be like if we really felt ourselves being held and carried by a babywearing mother God at all times.
Whatever your experience of Mother’s Day is this year in your community and family, I invite you to use it as a time to reflect on how images of God as a mother can deepen and enrich your relationship with Her.
