Word to the Wise
Wednesday, March 21, 2007 - Wednesday in the Fourth Week of Lent
[Isaiah 49:8-15 and John 5:17-30]For the Lord comforts his people and shows mercy to his afflicted. But Zion said, "The Lord has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me." Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.
When I begin to serve as a spiritual director for an individual, one of the first things I do is to ask about the person's "history with God" from the time they first heard of God up to the present day. What is their "image" of God? Is God male? Female? Genderless? to them? Is God benevolent? Is God a Father, Mother, Friend, Judge, Prosecutor? Spiritual direction is about a person's relationship with God. If the director has no knowledge of the directee's relationship with God, there is little point to spiritual direction! I have to say, I have rarely heard anyone describe God in maternal terms. I realize this is much more common in women who are aware of feminist spirituality or environmental theology, but even so I haven't met many women who personally describe God as "Mother" to me. This is even less the case with men! I would be happy to hear from any in my congregation who do "image" God as "Mother." The image from Isaiah in terms of the relationship of Mother to child to describe God's relationship to the Chosen People is an opportunity to "stretch" our imagination a bit. From close female friends who have shared with me their birth experiences I have learned about the strength of the bonding experience at childbirth. I have listened to very angry Moms who believe a school or pastor has treated their child unfairly! If this can be part of an experience of the relationship with God, I will opt for that tenderness for the child and the "Tigress" defending me anytime! Isaiah offers us a wonderful opportunity to think about God as "Mother" or even as "Mom!" It could be a healthy spiritual "exercise" to contemplate this image! AMEN