Celebrating Mother’s Love

Mothers reflect something unique in the Universe that is special. You know mother’s love when you receive it and you know when it is missing. Everyone has witnessed this phenomenon. The kids come bursting through the door after school or sports and on noticing that only dad or big sis is home declare, “Where is everybody?”  What they are really saying is “Where’s mom?” And even behind that question is another one “Where is mom’s love?” A mother’s love is a powerful force! This is not only true in the family but in society as well.

Before we can even honor the mothers in our lives we have to ask ourselves where this unique quality of heart comes from.  As the video clip shows the many facets of mother’s love such as comfort, support, protection, and belief in the face of difficulty are special and life giving.  Imagine a world devoid of mother’s love. Could even such a world survive? It would be a distorted world, out of balance.

God is Brilliant

The Creator designed a world of harmony and perfect equilibrium. When not negatively interfered with, the world is made up of a coordinated set of mutually interdependent systems that provide a cradle for life. This week, our Insight Manchester Meet Up group watched “The Connection,” a documentary about the unity of mind and body. I was struck by how balanced the systems within the body are.

I love the Divine Principle because it delves right into this idea in its very first chapter, the Principle of Creation. Many of the world’s religions have been shaped by the time period and culture they emerged in and therefore reflect God’s masculine essence. We hear about God the Father; the God of judgement; not that standards aren’t a good thing. The Universe has order. But what about the feminine aspect of God? There must be one, or where do all the feminine elements in creation come from? Now there’s a thought. You can’t have an effect without a cause.

Depositphotos_2374278_sThere are so many diverse feminine entities in creation suggesting that the cause or God most definitely must have a feminine side. This is why in Genesis 1:27 it says:

 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them.”

This idea of God the Father and God the Mother is reflected in other traditions as well. “I am the Father and Mother of the world.”Hinduism: Bhagavad Gita 9:17

This idea of a God who is a harmonious being of masculinity and femininity is beautifully articulated in a sermon by Rev. Moon:

“God is the harmonious union of the dual characteristics of masculinity and femininity. Creation occurs by the principle that God’s internal nature divides into two separate characteristics, which then re-unite in a form that resembles God’s original internal nature. Man and woman are born each resembling one of God’s characteristics. That is, the union of God’s son and God’s daughter is the union of God’s masculinity and God’s femininity. In their harmonious union they resemble God. For this reason, husband and wife are a unified body that represents God in His entirety.”

Today, we are celebrating Mother’s Day to honor our Heavenly Mother’s love in its myriad of forms expressed in each and every woman and girl on the planet. That’s a lot of love! What if it weren’t there? Can you imagine a world of just men? That would be as scary as a world of just women. This is why I consider God brilliant!

What is Special about a Mother’s Love?

As I hinted, I think a lot of the power of mother’s love is “presence.” It’s about being there and being a root or anchor to hold onto. That’s true on any level, not just the family. I was reminded of this in a recent post on Faith Fusion by John Gehring called The Politics of a Mother’s Heart.

He described a woman politician, affectionately known as Momma Betty that he traveled with while working in Uganda. They visited a community that was dealing with a stalled building project. The local community of mostly men that gathered to air their grievances was clearly frustrated. They wanted the government to do something. That might sound familiar. Nevertheless, the government had limited resources.  The story goes like this:

The Weight of People’s Complaints

Those gathered were vocal and upset, demanding that the Uganda government finish the job of building the mosque. I saw Momma nod and listen and, while she was listening, I was growing more and more aggravated. I felt like shouting at the people, “If this is your mosque, then work together and finish it on your own! Stop being irresponsible! It is nearly finished and, if you spent less time complaining and more time working, you could finish the job. Why should the government do what you can do?!”

Fortunately, I was not asked to speak. I held things inside until after the meeting adjourned and the men had made their way back down the dirt road toward the village. I did tell Momma what I felt and she nodded at me patiently. The nod had become familiar since she used it often when the villagers addressed her. I was being given a dose of Momma’s medicine. When the proper time came, she addressed me in her clear, convincing voice. – JG

Momma’s Wisdom and Heart 

“I have to listen to these people because no one else does. They may be trying to get something from us that we cannot give, but at least they know we came and showed an interest in them. This is what most people need. They need to know someone is listening to them, that someone cares, and that even though they really don’t expect you to solve their problems, they appreciate anything you can do to help.” – Momma Betty

Momma Betty looked drained from all the travel and meetings, but she continued. “I often feel like a mother with so many children. As a mother I realize that the food in the pantry is not enough to fully satisfy the children. I simply have to do my best. I listen to their dreams, encourage them by saying that things will get better, and I do whatever little I can. She suddenly smiled with her whole face and laughed out loud. “We are fortunate that we Ugandans are a hopeful people!”

John went on to say, “Hearing this important government minister share her heart of concern was a lesson I needed to witness. It is a lesson that should not be lost among our own political leaders inasmuch as it is indeed what most of us hope for. Seeing her in action, it was clear that Momma was a much bigger person than I was. Part of her special legacy is that she has helped me and others grow in our hearts to become bigger and better people.”

The Power of Mother’s Love

We can’t always solve every situation and neither can God. That is incredibly important to understand. Some things require time, or the exercising of our human portion of responsibility. They may require our growth – perhaps an awareness of the part we are to do. But what Mother’s love can do is listen, understand, receive and comfort. That is indeed Mother-Child_face_to_faceHeavenly Mother’s love, which we sometimes describe as the Holy Spirit. It can manifest itself in anyone, male or female. Perhaps woman have a natural tendency in their nature to tap into that heart. We can all avail ourselves of the Holy Spirit.

Rev. Moon spoke about the unique value of maternal love:

God loves by investing Himself one hundred percent and more. Something of that nature still remains in the fallen world. It is not paternal love, but maternal love. It remains like a seed fire. If a seed fire is well guarded, it can be used later to kindle another fire. Likewise, salvation is possible only because the seed of God’s original nature still remains in us.

God’s maternal love or more commonly known as the Holy Spirit is that seed fire of God on earth and in people. It’s ironic but it’s possible to be alive and yet not alive. To be fully alive we need to connect to our Heavenly Mother. So what kind of mother is God?

Is God a Helicopter Parent?

We have all heard of the term “helicopter parent.” That is parent who is always hovering above their children, trying to protect them from every possible danger, always on the ready to swoop in and evacuate. I know, to my children’s detriment that on occasion I have been like that.  I think society encourages this behavior more and more. There are apps now whereby you can check in on your child at day care and play. While there can certainly be a time and place for that it can also be overused. We often think of God as that kind of parental figure – always hovering above us, waiting for us to step out of line so He can swoop in and punish us, but I think God has a different MO.

God’s Parental String Theory

God is more subtle and respectful in His relationship with us. He cares for us in a way that Rabbi David Wolfe of Los Angeles’ Sinai Temple described very well:

We should hold onto our children as a child holds a balloon. Let them rise, float on their own, but keep a grasp on the string so they do not float away to unknown parts. The time will come when we have to release the balloon, but in the meantime, instead of hovering from above, we should be holding tightly from below. Think of it as parental string theory.”

He went on to say “we easily forget that we are not trying to make good kids but competent, kind adults. Self-reliance is the fruit of practice, nurtured by failure, encouraged by appropriate risk. Coddle a kid and you get a kid. Let them soar and you get an adult.”

What sort of oversight do we want our Heavenly Mother to have over us? Fortunately, God isn’t interested in micro-managing our lives. He or She would rather see us take initiative to build the three great blessings (gen 1:28) in our lives. He wants us to get out there and mature ourselves. Do it in a way that God can be proud of. No parent wants to proclaim at the end of the day “It was all me! I basically made it happen- you know, gave all the answers.”

Sometimes, we feel God tugging a little on our strings. Or sometimes, we need a bit of wiggle room. God respects that. Occasionally, we will feel a strong, big tug pulling us down to earth. That’s when we have to pay attention.  It’s good to know that God’s hand is on our string.

The nature of Heavenly Mother’s Heart

Mothers are special because they choose to love us. Have you ever heard the expression, “Only a mother could love him!” Well, that sums it up. God loves us, not just some of the time but all of the time. John 15:16 says:

You did not choose me, but I chose you.

Mother and daughter in the parkWe didn’t ask to be born but God asked and wished that we would be born into this world. God is committed to us no matter what. When you choose something you don’t just throw it away. There is a deeper commitment. That is why mother’s love is special. God wants us to abide in His love. This is all a mother wants; be with me, receive my love. Let me love you!

Like any mother, God also has a little of list of things for you to do. In John 15 we are told that we should bear fruit that will last (fulfill the three blessings) and oh, by the way, love one another. That’s how you can know that God is a mother!

God desires that we inherit His parental love; the ability to love everyone:

“My teaching to you is this: love the world as much as you love God. God feels greater joy when He sees you loving each other more than you love Him. Don’t shy away from adverse conditions or from smelly or ugly people; they are the ones who need you. Willingly attend to the dirty places and make them fragrant. Don’t run away from problems, but face them and conquer them…. I am resolved to help you in the most fundamental spheres: life and true love…. So look at each person as a gateway to God, and resolve to melt his or her heart and win him or her.” – Rev. Moon

Finally, perhaps the most important quality of a mother’s love is expressed in John 15:13 which describes sacrificial love. Mother’s lay down their lives for their children on a daily basis. That’s why today is special and we need to celebrate the mothers among us.

Nothing can separate us from mother’s love. We may have issues that we still need to work on or resolve with our own mothers, but there is a string that connects us. God will not let go of our string until we reach our spiritual maturity, in which case we will rise and be together.

On Mother’s Day we give thanks to our mothers and all the people in our lives who have shared mother’s love with us: sacrificing themselves for us and loving us when no-one else could.

As mothers, we remember too easily the moments when we weren’t enough, but thankfully our kids, more often than not, remember who we were trying to be. This is how they love us:

 

 

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