by Tim Haworth
I can almost here the gasps and the clutching of pearls among my more conservative friends.
“Did he just refer to God as Mother? A WOMAN???”
Yep. I did. And the Bible backs me up. There are a number of references to the mothering aspects of God.
Isaiah 66:13: “As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.”
Hosea 13:8 “Like a bear robbed of her cubs I will attack them and tear them asunder...”
Comforting on the one hand. Ripping to shreds anyone who threatens her child on the other. Yep, that sounds like my mom. And I am glad I have a God that brings me the same comfort and strength and always has my back.
So am I saying God is a woman? Nope. But God isn’t a man either.
Yes, I am well aware that the Bible refers to God in the masculine. But that is because it was written in patriarchal times when the culture centered on men and gave little notice to women. That is a topic for another time. I’m just thankful we are becoming more aware of its effects and slowly moving away from that.
God is the creator and gender is part of creation. God said in Genesis 1:26-27 “‘Let us create humankind in our image, according to our likeness’... male and female God created them.” Did you notice that both males and females were created in God’s image? Not just the males.
When we try to restrict God to one gender we are incorrectly limiting the One who is limitless. God is male, female and everything in between. We need to expand our perception of who God is and embrace the fullness of God.
This Sunday is Mother’s Day. I challenge you to think about God as a mother. What elements of the ideal mom does God reflect? And then take a few moments to thank God and wish Her a happy Mother’s Day.
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