A mother’s love is unconditional. There is nothing to earn, only to receive. With her we are fully accepted and known, comforted and safe, nourished and satisfied. And she is our first taste of the beauty we long for in God.
God created both male and female to reflect his image. And this means aspects of both fatherhood and motherhood also reflect his divine qualities.
And there’s a love our soul needs from both throughout our lives, and not just in childhood.
Fatherly love is a source of validation and identity. And we need father figures, perhaps through a company of men, to regularly challenge us and affirm that we have what it takes to accomplish the various tasks of life.
On the other hand, motherly love is a source of soul nourishment. We need a place to call home and to rest, to be filled to the brim and cared for no matter what.
While initially this comes through our mother figures in childhood, we eventually look for it in our wife, the female presence, and beauty in all its different forms.
The desire for this love is not immature. In fact, when we don’t openly acknowledge and allow our hearts to receive this love, we often attach it to shallow and distorted expressions.
For example, overeating, drinking too much, and porn are often ways we try to fill this void. We want to be saturated with goodness and we settle for whatever we can get.
We might also become demanding and selfishly wanting others to take care of us when we can’t rest securely in motherly love.
In the end, God is a good God and will continue to mother us in all the ways our soul still needs. Our part is simply to open and receive.
Bless the mothers in your life. And thank God for all the ways he expresses his mothering heart toward you.
