This morning, I reflected upon the number of people in my life who never had loving mothers or fathers, at least in the biological sense. The pain of what’s missing for them haunts their daily lives. They long for a blessing that seems God denied them somehow.
As I consider the heart of God as the Father to the fatherless (Psalm 68:5) and the image of God as motherly–the One who covers you with feathers and hides you under those loving, sheltering wings (Psalm 91:4)–I wonder about God manifesting these roles through our lives to others. If we’re over forty (as I am), this role matters more and more as we interact with young people in our lives.
Once after a speaking event, a young woman approached me and asked, “Will you be my mother for a moment? Could you hug my like a mother?” I’m not sure if her mother had recently died or if she simply didn’t have a mother in her life due to various reasons.
So I hugged her. I hugged her with all the love of a mother I could muster. I imagined the love of all mothers everywhere, from the beginning of time, flowing through me to her. I imagined the mothering of God would flow through me to her heart.
Maybe a young person in your life needs that.
Imagine the very best a father can be, and act that way to the younger folks. Imagine the perfect mother you always longed for, and be that for others. The challenge excites me as I age.