God Our Mother — Moses Falco

This past Sunday was my first Father’s day! Just over two months have passed since Clara’s birth on April 23 and I feel like I’m only now starting to realize that this little one is with us for the long haul. I’ve lived 29 years only ever being an (honorary) uncle to many kids, but I now have a child that I can’t return to their parents once they start crying or their diaper is full. I’m Clara’s dad and I have to do the dirty work.

I’ve heard a lot of fathers tell me that having kids has taught them more about God. Realizing the love that one has for their child and how to care for them has helped them realize how much God loves and cares for us. This idea has stuck with me. I’ve been anticipating the ways in which having children will help me grow, not only in my maturity, but also in my faith.

But I have to be honest, I don’t see it yet. I mean, I love Clara in a way that I could never have imagined. I care for her unlike I’ve ever cared for anyone; but if my idea of God was based on me as a father at this stage in Clara’s life, I’m not sure it would be an appealing image.

When Clara first came into the world, I was quite nervous about everything. I didn’t know if I was holding, rocking, or burping her correctly. I’ve changed many diapers, but that’s only dealing with what comes out. I’ve had very little to do with nursing her. Sometimes I was so tired that I slept through Clara’s screams. Luckily Jessica (her mother) was there to notice that Clara needed our attention. In fact, in the first two months that Clara has been alive, I’ve played more of a supporting role to Jessica, without whom I would have been completely lost.

When we speak of God as Father, we certainly shouldn’t imagine an awkward, timid, or lost God who doesn’t know how to care for His children. But that doesn’t mean that I haven’t grown in my understanding of God since Clara’s birth. It’s just that my image of God hasn’t expanded because my role as a father, but rather by observing Jessica fulfill her role as Clara’s mother.

“That God is known to us as Father says nothing about God being a male, but rather about the kind of relationship that God has with His creation.”

I know it can sometimes be controversial to call God our Mother, but we must remember that God is neither male nor female. God is Spirit who transcends our human understandings of gender. God is the creator of the universe and both male and female are created in the image of God according to Genesis 1-2. That God is known to us as Father says nothing about God being a male, but rather about the kind of relationship that God has with God’s creation.

For those who have had very difficult relationships with their earthly fathers, it may be even more challenging to think of God as a Father. That’s not to say that we should disregard all the Scripture passages that call God Father, but even Scripture gives us the latitude to think of God in other ways, including God as a Mother. Let me provide three ways I’ve grown in my understanding of God because of my observations of Clara’s mother.

1) Birth
Being at Clara’s birth was amazing. I thought I would be scarred from seeing things I never thought I wanted to see, but the miracle of my daughter coming into the world changed all that. Jessica, who had carried Clara in her womb for just over 37 weeks was releasing her into the world to become her own person. She dealt with over 30 hours of severe pain in order to birth Clara. Nothing will beat Jessica’s expression when she saw her daughter for the first time. The chance to give Clara life was worth the journey it took to get there.

God is like a Mother in the way that God birthed the world into creation. Genesis 1-2 are birth stories in which we are reminded who gave life to the world. But birth doesn’t end with creation. When Jesus told Nicodemus what it would take to have eternal life (John 3), Jesus said that we must be born again. Not only did God give life to the world, but we are born again of the spirit when we put our trust and hope in God.

2) Nourishment
Our little Clara needed food the moment she came out of Jessica’s womb. Jessica’s body knew this and had been preparing for some time to nourish a baby. Over the past two months, Clara has grown twice her weight. Jessica birthed Clara, but about 10 times per day, Jessica continues to nourish Clara with the exact thing she needs to survive.

God is like a Mother in the way that God continues to gives us life and nourishment. It’s God who breathes life into the world, not only at the time of creation, but in the present as well. We are utterly dependent on God for what we have. Just like Israel received manna, quail, and water as they wandered the desert, God provides what the world needs to survive. In the same way, God nourishes us spiritually. Jesus called Himself the Bread of Life (John 6). If we partake of Him, we will never be spiritually hungry again.

3) Caring Love
In two months, Clara has only slept through an entire night one time. It was amazing! But the rest of the time, she wakes up crying because she needs something. Even during the day, if something is bothering her, the crying begins. Jessica seems to be able to detect those cries right away. I can sleep for a long time before noticing, but Jessica’s heart is so drawn to our child that it immediately pains her when she sees our daughter’s discontentment.

God is like a Mother in the way that God cares and loves all of creation. Isaiah 66:13 compares God to a comforting mother with the promise that God will comfort us. Matthew 23:37 calls God a mother hen who longs to gather all her chicks safely under her wings. In Luke 15, Jesus tells a parable of God as a woman who lost a valuable coin and cares enough to not give up searching until she finds it.

God is a Mother to us. Scripture tells us this and now that I have had two months to observe Jessica as a mother, I understand it more fully. It has expanded my appreciation and thankfulness for our God who has birthed us, who continues to nourish us with everything we need for life, and who loves and cares for us as only a mother can. Praise be to God, our loving Mother.