Bringing Comfort to Mothers, Fathers & Children- Today & Always
/Mothering Matters!
Parenting matters. Babies in the womb matters. Carrying for children ( wanted, planned, unwanted or unplanned) and their parents matters. Carrying for, having compassion on and somehow bringing comfort to those who don’t believe the same as you also matters.
I can only write and speak from my own convictions. Today, now more than ever, I am praying for the God of all comfort to meet us where we are at when it comes to our worldview and moral compass.
If cultural debates are a mirror to the health of humanity, we are a sick and depraved nation, or I should say nations. (I can speak of the USA and Canada experience as a dual citizen, but my heart grows weary at times of all the polarizing arguments across the globe when it comes to ethics, human rights, morality and the meaning of life.). Yet, I give my weariness to God.
“The Lord is my shepherd,
I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside quiet waters,
He refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me...”
A Different Kind of Mothers Day
Mothers Day this year has been hijacked in many ways by whats happening in the USA and the ongoing protests I see this week in light of the leaked news:
“The Supreme Court appears potentially poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark case enshrining a constitutional right to an abortion, according to a leaked draft opinion obtained and published by Politico on Monday night.- To read more- visit posts like this: Washington Post May 3rd, 2022 , CBN May 3rd, 2022 while protests were being planned across the nation on Mothers Day as a stance against this.
Regardless of the outcome of how the constitution is protected and democracy is upheld on a federal and state level, I sense this war is ramping up. Debates and conflicts can be an opportunity to talk about what really matters. It involves our participation though. Can we do so with dignity and respect? Are we able to enter debates with genuine empathy, while seeking truth? The issue of abortion and all its peripheral debates of human vs. personhood, will not go away anytime soon.
This Mothers Day, I am actually laying in bed with my tissue box, humidifier and all the comforts to try and restore my health as I’m recovering from a bad bout of laryngitis and a sinus infection. Grateful for my hubby who is loving me so tenderly today. He’s giving me space to rest, to heal. For me, writing is a way I can get things out of my head and out there on paper (or blog posts), SO I can rest:)
Before writing, I flipped through some news reports, read some thought provoking articles and witnessed fun social media posts celebrating baby bumps, motherhood and grand-mothering today. As I muster up some energy for when some of the kids and grands come over, I’m reflecting on my own mothering journey.
In case you are wondering- Yes, I am Pro-Life. Pro-birth, and know first hand the painful realities- the aftermath, the emotional, mental, spiritual consequences of an “unplanned” pregnancy and the pressures to have an abortion. I have empathy for this issue because I have lived it. I am though a survivor of this attack of my soul and my body as the Lord has redeemed and is restoring me. My aim in addressing this today is to bring some hope, and shed a bit more light on this topic. Motherhood is sacred, and no matter how one views it or has experience with being a mom, not being able to be a mom, not having a mom per-say, we all are called to be “mothered.”
Looking through tons of family photos, my heart is energized. I love being momma, in sickness and in health. I can’t help but ponder how I too have been mothered in a plethora of ways: my mom, friends, mother in law, mentors, spiritual mothers and by God Himself.
This Mothers Day, I Evoke the Comfort of Gods Holy Spirit to Be With Us
In a previous blogpost “Are you my mother”? I shared the many ways in which God comforts us like a mother as we allow our soul to open up to His presence and care. In the book ,of Isaiah, chapter 66 , the Lord God is declaring a prophetic promise for the restoration of Israel as not only a physical nation, but of His people who remain faithful to Him and His promises.
(I’m learning that prophecy within scripture takes time to unpack as you need to take into consideration God’s timeless word that assumes faith in God who is the “Alpha and the Omega” (Beginning and the end), with the framework of Creation, the Fall, Redemption and Restoration.. 1/3 of the Bible is prophecy- a forth-telling of promises yet to be fulfilled in the future).
I highlight this section of scripture today because I appreciate the language used in verse 13 where God’s character is personified as a loving mother.
“As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; ”
Monotheistic religions (Islam, Judaism, Christianity primarily), have an underlying belief there is one God. (not worshipping multiple gods or deities). I’ll share more of my personal statement of faith in the future, but at the core of my faith in Christ is that God is a personal God and wants a relationship with all of us. I believe His finished work on the cross of Calvary over 2000 years ago makes that possible for you and me. It takes faith, a willing heart to turn from our waywardness and allow our Creator to restore us one day at a time- He’s simply a prayer away.
Let God Be Your Perfect Parent- Your All in All
The analogy of relating to God in a personal way as Father AND Mother* is Biblical and I believe it to the depths of my being. It’s been a journey of faith. (*(I am fully aware of the literal/ metaphorical debates as that is open to careful scriptural interpretation in its original text). When humanity is under attack: the family, marriage, the dignity and worth of life itself, the image of God is being targeted by the forces of hell and the unseen realm are at work among us through people and systems of this world. Governments cannot save our soul, doing good works cannot fully restore the land back to its original intent. No. We must turn to the One who has the “whole world in His hands”. That familiar tune is coming to mind which I often sang as a little girl growing up in Minnesota not knowing fully what the theological implications were of that tune in the 70’s.
If you were raised by parents who loved you, accepted you, provided security, and helped you understand your identity which has great significance in this world, praise God. If you walk with a limp (as most of us do)- as there are no perfect parents or perfect families of origin. (If you’d like to learn more about unpacking that further , I recommend a resource from Dr. Dan Allender as he addresses our own stories of origin in his Story Sage course.**)
In issues of morality, ethics, human rights, and justice issues, we must ask ourselves what we believe about God, Creation, Humanity itself and reflect on our own worldview that we currently ascribe to. Is it based on truth or heresay? Is it built on prejudices, hurt, pain or trauma from our past? Who or what has influenced us to formulate our current thoughts, beliefs, opinions and expressions? I am the first to admit that legalistic or man made “religion” often is the perpetrator of abuse and distorts the image of God. I appreciate the phrase: “Religion is mans attempt to reach God- where Jesus is Gods plan to reach mankind.”
I’ve experienced the harmful affects of religion, and I have experienced the transformative relationship with Jesus Himself.. As such, I speak and write from a Judeo Christian worldview. How that is interpreted and lived out is as personal as our DNA and unique fingerprints. I do believe in absolute truths and I do believe we are supposed to experientially receive truths in order to live by them.
Knowing God personally allows our soul to communicate with Him to inquire about everything that concerns us and the world. He cares about everything that you care about. He created you and I. He created this world. How it is stewarded requires great wisdom and a desire to enact truth and justice according to His ways and not ours. I do believe we live in a confused world that is hell bent on destroying the image of God, the “imago Dei” as referenced in the first book of the Bible and the truth that God has created men and women in His image (Genesis 1:26-27). When considering the source of those influences, you must ask them or learn, what basis do they seek to defend their stance?
Does Your Worldview Include a “God of Comfort”?
Mothering, parenting, and human rights isn’t viewed the same across the globe as we all have our own personal views we hold dear to. Some out of naivety, some out of cultural biases we grew up with and just accepted, and others out of careful examination of our faith or moral authority. These make up our current worldview. Like no other issue known to mankind, does the topic of abortion get people more stirred up, riled up and hold pent up emotions. All the more reason for me to encourage you today to turn to the “God of All Comfort”- (Love this song by Ellie Holcomb).
No matter the outcome of justice issues we face today in our culture, I do hope that this particular issue (Abortion, reproduction, sex, sexuality etc) causes us to stop for a moment- and have us consider the following (if you haven’t already done so).
Questions to Ponder
Do I believe that God created the universe and all of creation- humanity, you and me?
If So…
Do I believe that all humanity is created in equal value, dignity and worth?
Do I have a basis for where evil comes from?
Do I ponder my own worldview on God, Sex, Gender, Sexuality? If so, where do I get my information? Who or what influences me?
Do I believe that life begins at conception (or mid term, when the umbilical cord is cut, when a human has cognitive abilities?)
Do I believe Mothering and Fathering matters?
(Or do we think it’s archaic and there is more wisdom in our own humanity taking over and creating systems and standards of moral, ethical authority in our communities?
Do I support parents in their parenting journey to bring life, comfort and opportunities for them to flourish?
Do I have clarity for what is the remedy for evil and the fallen nature of humanity?
Do I have a vision for the future, a peek behind the curtain for what’s ahead for the full restoration of the earth and mankind? (Eschatology)
Enough of the questions Jodi…, right? Just some food for thought as we ponder where we are at. It’s not just about the topic of abortion, it’s really a question of why are we here? What is the purpose of life? We can’t change the world, as I believe Jesus came to do just that, but we can do our part. I believe it starts first with allowing the God of all hope, comfort and peace to saturate our hearts and change us from the inside out. As the Spirit does just that, we can pray for that restoration to continue each and every day. When we receive comfort from God Himself, we in turn are positioned to bring comfort to others.
*Click here to read my blog post on my journey in developing a Statement of Faith and Worldview
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”
To read more related posts on motherhood, see the 3 posts below I wrote a few years back:
Silent No More, The Unplanned Debate
I wrote a blog post in 2019 in response to the abortion debate after the release of the film “Unplanned”. I also shared a 1 hour video on my deck that year reflecting on my own experience with this issue. Click here
Prayers for the Brokenhearted
I wrote a blog post in 2018 to address the many ways that Mothers Day is not all that happy for many people. I sought to encourage ways for us to pray or grow in empathy and compassion to the painful reality of motherhood that we cannot ignore. Click here
Are you My Mother?
A blog I wrote in 2018 to talk through some spiritual concepts allowing God to “mother us” (be it literally or metaphorically) and some scriptural truths I have discovered along the journey. Click here
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort...”
Other Recommend Resources:
My Blog post praying through Psalm 23 which includes referencing the God of Comfort- click here to read and consider personalizing your own Psalm 23 prayer this Mothers day or any day. Click here: Psalm 23: Praying the World with Thanksgiving. October 13th, 2019
My Blog post on Lament. If you’d like to learn more about the gift of Lament, I interviewed a few friends in ministry during the pandemic where they used their gift of creativity in song, art and journaling to teach me more about what Lamenting is and how we can use that as a way of prayer, a way of life: Click here: Learning to Lament April 10th, 2020.
**Story Sage Course- https://theallendercenter.org/offerings/online-courses/story-sage-series/ (If you’d like to take this online course- or others listed on this page, you can save by using the discount code JKOZAN20
Book I am currently reading: Love Thy Body: Answering Hard Questions about Life and Sexuality by Nancy Pearcy 2018
