On Mother’s Day, Josh and I went to the alternative worship service at Market Square Presbyterian Church. Though I have only been a few times, I always leave those services feeling full, contemplative, with more insight into my relationship with God and others.
This time, the focus was on God as our mother, adapted from Julian of Norwich, a French mystic. The pastor asked us to think about a woman who has had a large impact in our lives. I am blessed; several women popped into my mind- from my aunts, to my high school youth pastor, to my college pastor, to the 6 amazing women I lived with last year in D.C. But my mom was the strongest, the most consistent, and so I chose to focus on her. She was the one who carried me into this world and continually prayed with and for me, taught me daily lessons about faith, helped me to “write scripture on my heart.” We were told to call out words that described the women in our lives, and I thought of words such as “prayerful,” “loving,” “direct,” “honest,” “strong.” We contemplated how these words and many more are characteristics of God as well. This was very touching and beautiful, and afterwards we shared our reflections and sang some beautiful songs.
I have often heard people in the Church say that your relationship with your father has a huge impact on how you see and relate to God. There is no doubt that my ability to view God as a generous, loving father comes from my earthly dad. However, I am not sure I have heard anyone say that about mothers. But what I realized is that my mom has profoundly shaped my relationship with God, and how I see God. My mom has had a direct impact on my view of a loving, strong, honest, nurturing God who thinks the world of me.
I will follow up with a beautiful hymn based on the words of Julian of Norwich...
