God in Mothers (Happy Mother's Day!)

I read recently that parents shape their child's first image or perception of God. As I was sitting in church today listening to a great sermon about God's love being in all of us, through Jesus, I was thinking about this statement. The Gospel lesson for today in the Revised Common Lectionary is one that makes you go "huh?"; until someone breaks it down. The reading is John 17:20-26, this is Jesus' prayer after the Passover meal before he goes to the Garden of Gethsemane and ultimately His death. There are a lot of "me in you", "you in me" and "I in them" statements. The bottom line is that Jesus knows the love of God and because His followers know Him, they also know the love of God, or at least that is Jesus' prayer. (You can read Fr. Sean's sermon on his blog if you're interested; its worth checking out.)

The first place we experience (or don't experience) the love of God is in our homes. It is how our parents treat us, each other and others. Whether we know it our not, parents are a child's first experience of God. So each time a mother loses sleep to comfort a sick child, he sees a God of healing. When a mother listens to the anguish of teenage drama, she sees a God of comfort. When a mother scolds or disciplines a child, he sees a God of justice. When a mother drops everything to come to the aid of her adult child when suffering, she sees a God who is always present. Sorry to cut the dads out of the picture, but it is Mother's day!

I think of what I have learned from my mom through the years. I learned that God is patient as my mom tried to explain to the fire-year old me that I HAD to eat the Jell-o or I'd end up in the hospital when I was really sick. By the way, I also learned that God is wise since I didn't eat the Jell-o and ended up in the hospital. I learned that God's love does not depend on my attitude or emotions when I was a teen who insisted on doing everything the hard way. I learned that God is always there to bail me out of my mistakes when as a young adult she had to literally pay for my mistakes and then have me move back in with her and my dad. I also learned that God respects everyone and responds to each person according to their personality by having the privilege of working with her.

I carry these lessons with me each day and they influence who I am, what I do and what I say. Until today, I didn't realize how much my mom has represented God to me and others. As a professional in faith formation, I tell parents that they are their children's first teachers of the faith. But it goes so much deeper, they are God to their children. I wonder how we might parent differently if we thought of ourselves this way. I also hope that my children are learning that God is in love with them, unconditionally, unabashedly in love with them always.

Thank you to all the mothers and mother-figures who have shown the love of God in so many ways to their children! You have answered the highest calling and influenced the world!