god as mother?
Ever since I became a Christian, I have heard God spoken of in Trinitarian form: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is for good reason, as God reveals Himself in this way throughout Scripture. The Trinity is a beautiful and mysterious reality that has captured my heart and imagination for years. Three distinct persons, yet one being. God exists in perfect union and fellowship within Himself. Through this divine mystery, we are invited to know Him more fully: the Father above who is sovereign and watchful, the Son who walks beside us as our closest friend, and the Holy Spirit who dwells within us to counsel and comfort our hearts.
As a new mother, I’ve come to sense that my role is profoundly spiritual and reflects something of God’s own nature. My heart toward my daughter is one of pure delight and affection in every moment. There is something biological and sacred about the way I am wired to nurture her. During my pregnancy and now as a new mother, my body has literally been her source of life. When she smiles, my heart overflows with joy; when she cries, I am compelled to comfort and provide for her.
All of this, I’ve realized, mirrors the heart of God, yet we rarely speak of God in maternal terms. Recently, I turned to Mourner, Mother, Midwife: Reimagining God’s Delivering Presence in the Old Testament by L. Juliana M. Claassens, an Old Testament scholar and professor whose work offers a rich theological vision of God’s feminine presence toward Israel. As a counterpoint to the often-emphasized image of God as a warrior, Claassens highlights passages that reveal God’s nurturing and life-giving nature, especially in Isaiah 66:10–13:
“Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her,
all you who love her;
rejoice greatly with her,
all you who mourn over her.
For you will nurse and be satisfied
at her comforting breasts;
you will drink deeply
and delight in her overflowing abundance.”
“I will extend peace to her like a river,
and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream;
you will nurse and be carried on her arm
and dandled on her knees.
As a mother comforts her child,
so will I comfort you;
and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.”
Here, God is likened to a nursing mother who is tender, attentive, and sustaining. As I nurse my daughter, I am struck by how completely she is sustained and comforted in that moment. She receives nourishment and, just as importantly, deep emotional connection and security. So complete is her trust that she often falls asleep in my arms, utterly at rest.
Can you imagine God caring for you in that same way—offering such tenderness, nourishment, and nurture that you are both fully sustained and deeply rested in His presence? We live in a weary world, full of heartache and striving. We need our Father who protects, our Savior who redeems, and the Holy Spirit who guides. But we also need the God who mothers us, one who gathers us close, who feeds our hungry hearts, and who lets us finally rest.
What might happen if we opened ourselves to this side of God’s love? Perhaps in God’s embrace, we would find that divine strength and tenderness are not opposites at all, but two expressions of the same unending love.
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Mary earned her undergraduate degree in economics from Washington and Lee University in 2018. After working in consulting and real estate development, Mary decided to follow her calling to become a counselor. In 2023, she earned a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of North Carolina Charlotte. Mary lives in Charlotte with her husband, Jay, and their French Bulldog, Adele. She loves good conversations with friends over the dinner table and enjoys hosting people in her home. A native Floridian, Mary loves the sunshine and will take any opportunity to spend time on the water!
