It seems that God has far less of a problem being referred to in the feminine than we have with referring to God as such. We don’t talk about God as woman or mother, and I suspect that it’s largely because Jesus always spoke of God as Father. Unfortunately, nowadays, far too many fathers fail to live up to their responsibilities to reflect the loving, caring, and providing nature of God. Now, are there mothers like this? Unfortunately, yes—far too often and it’s for that reason that so many people have abandoned their faith. More importantly, Jesus reminds us that “God is Spirit” (John 4:24), and any language we use is ultimately inadequate, because we’re trying to describe the indescribable. So, we must be careful in assigning gender, or any human characteristics, to God.
Still there are plenty of places in the Bible where God describes himself in motherly terms, including numerous passages where God speaks of gathering his children under his wings. In Matthew 23:37 Jesus says, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem…How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”
The point of these texts is to remind us that God comforts us as a mother comforts her child; to give us a glimpse into the bond God has with us. So, leaving out entire chunks of how Scripture describes God can leave us with less understanding of God. Thinking of God as a mother, alongside God as father, will provide us with a deeper, more balanced understanding.
This makes me wonder: What if we consider the idea that God, for all humanity, is merely a projection of the parent-child relationship? Do we, humankind, create a divine being in the image of our primary caregiver? From birth, we rely on our parents as our primary source of comfort, protection, and guidance. As we grow older, this role often shifts from our biological parents to societal and religious figures, such as deities. Could it be that our belief in God, regardless of religious affiliation, is rooted in the innate longing for a loving and nurturing parent—mother or father? I would tend to agree, which is why the concept of God as Mother is important in helping us broaden our understanding of God.
In William Makepeace Thackeray’s famous quote, “Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children,” a powerful and profound sentiment is captured. The quote summarizes the deep bond between a child and their mother, portraying the elevated status that mothers hold in the eyes of their little ones. This statement speaks to the unconditional love, protection, and nurturing nature that mothers embody, evoking a sense of reverence akin to the way children perceive God. Nevertheless, including images of God as Mother in our thinking is, I believe, more important that we realize; and when we begin to recognize that God is not contained by any one type of imagery, we grow in our understanding of and our relationship with God. We begin to see ourselves more clearly as God’s beloved treasures—God’s children, made in God’s image!