Recently I have been trying to wrap my mind around the motherheart of God. Those attributes of our God that seem to come from the heart of a woman, or more specifically, a mother. As my husband and I travel and share with those who have been wounded and hurt by their fathers, we are becoming more and more aware of the wounds left by mothers. The message of “The Fatherheart of God” is a very wide spread message of love and forgiveness. The heart of a Father healing the hurts of a wounded man or woman, boy or girl trying to navigate their way through life not having known the love of a father. Or perhaps having had a father, but as is so often the case in our imperfect nature, the father left scars on a heart yearning only to be loved and accepted. It can be very difficult to understand God’s father heart for us if we have not had any kind of a healthy role model of a father here on earth. Yet perhaps the male image of God lends itself to grasping it a bit easier.
But how often do we hear of the concept of the motherheart of God? Where does that fit into our understanding of God? I am not sure how theologically this all fits in, but I do know God has many attributes that lean far more to the feminine character than to the male. Here’s just two familiar Scriptures that point to a mother heart...
Isaiah 66:13...”As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.”
Matthew 23:37...how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.”
A myriad of adjectives, verbs and phrases all leap to my mind when I think of a mother:
Mothers...bring new life into the world.
Mothers...nurture
Mothers...respond
Mothers....comfort
Mothers....protect
Mothers....feed
Mothers....hold
Mothers....play
Mothers....pray
Mothers....kiss & hug
Mothers....give
Mothers....clean
Mothers....make special
Mothers....create
Mothers....smile
Mothers....teach
Mothers....guide
Mothers....advise
Mothers....prepare
Mothers....watch over
Available, loving, tender, gentle (but firm), hopeful, faith(ful), facilitate.....I began making a list this morning. It has played over and over in my mind leaving me no choice to but let the words wash over my soul and plant understanding and revelation in my heart of God’s mother love for us. Yes, many of these attributes overlap with the male and father understanding of God, but some resoundingly reverberate of a mother’s touch. And I do realize that some today would have a difficult time relating to those words describing a mother depending on the degree of the presence (or absence) of a mother in their lives.
God the Father has been impressing in my spirit and heart to seek Him for a greater understanding of His mother heart to us....men and women, boys and girls....who have been abandoned, wounded, and scarred by mothers. My husband and I have had tearful, heart-wrenching times of ministry to several who were so wounded by their mothers, it was almost unfathomable.
In the weeks and months to come, I hope by the grace and ministry of God to my own heart, I will be able to share some revelation of His gentle and mothering love for us.
Today as I was musing on this, I came across an assortment of poems describing a mother’s love....I was amazed - in nearly all of them you could literally envision GOD in place of the MOTHER. I’ll leave you with one to ponder God’s gentle, nurturing, guiding mother love over you today...
A Mother's Love | |||
| by Michael O. Adesanya | |||
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1 comments:
I love this Debby. Years ago a professor pointed out that in Michelangelo's (I think) painting of the Prodigal Son's Return that the hands of the father are different. One is masculine and the other feminine, representing the all-encompassing character of God. We, man and woman, are made in His image, each of us only carrying part of who He is. What a fabulous God we serve!
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