God, The World's Greatest Mother!

As I was busy celebrating some of the mothers in my life, I did not have an opportunity to post anything on Mother's Day. Even so, I cannot allow such an important day to pass without a few observations relative to the Almighty.

One website (http://parenting.allwomenstalk.com/lovable-qualities-of-a-great-mother) lists "Nine Lovable Qualities of a Great Mother..." According to them, a great mother is:
1. Affectionate
2. Caring
3. Not Overbearing
4. Fun
5. A Rule Setter
6. A Good Listener
7. Relatable
8. A Role Model
9. Accepting

Sounds like a pretty good list to me. However, I would probably add words like reliable, faithful and teacher to the list. Indeed, most of the qualities that people think of when trying to describe the characteristics of a great mother could be summarized with the word "nurturing."

We are so accustomed to thinking of Almighty God as our "Father" that many of us have failed to appreciate God as Nurturer-in-Chief.

Take a moment to think about it.

Don't we think of someone who is affectionate as one who readily demonstrates his/her affection, fondness, love or tenderness for another person? Isn't that descriptive of God's character? (Psalm 145:9, James 5:11)

Don't we think of someone who is caring as one who is interested in the welfare of another person - even of one who feels protective toward another person? Isn't that also descriptive of God's character? (Exodus 19:4, Deuteronomy 33:27 and Psalm 23:4)

Don't we think of someone who is not overbearing as one who permits others to speak, think and act for themselves - to make their own choices and mistakes? Doesn't that describe how the Almighty treats us? (Deuteronomy 30:19 and II Peter 3:9)

Likewise, don't we think of someone who is fun as one who causes merriment or amusement in others? Is God fun? (Genesis 21:6, Psalm 118:15, 144:15, 146:5 and Luke 6:21)

Don't we think of someone who is a rule setter as one who establishes boundaries and imposes limits to protect us from harm? Isn't that also indicative of God? (Exodus 20:1-17)

Don't we think of someone who is a good listener as one who is attentive to what we say? Doesn't that describe what God does for us every time we go to "Him" in prayer?
(II Chronicles 7:14-15, Matthew 7:7-11, John 15:16 and 16:23)

Don't we think of someone who is relatable as one who is able to empathize - feel or understand what we are feeling? Isn't that part of the reason that God sent Jesus Christ to this earth? (Hebrews 4:14-16 and I John 2:1)

Don't we think of someone who is acting in the capacity of a role model as one who always sets a good example for others? Isn't that implicit in everything that God does?
(Psalm 86:15, 111:4, 112:4, 145:8, Malachi 3:6 and James 1:13)

Don't we think of someone who is accepting as one who loves us in spite of our faults and imperfections? Isn't that how God feels about us? (Romans 5:8)

Isn't God the epitome of reliability and faithfulness? (Deuteronomy 7:9, Isaiah 40:28, I Corinthians 1:9 and II Thessalonians 5:24)

Finally, Hasn't God always taught "His" people about "His" statutes, laws and judgments? How many times do we read in Scripture "the Lord spake unto Moses, saying..."? Isn't God also prophesied to one day be the teacher for all of the peoples of the earth? (Isaiah 2:3, Hebrews 8:10 and 10:16)

Wow, sounds to me like God is entitled to be called "The World's Greatest Mother!" Remember brethren, God is not contained by gender or confined to the roles that we or others have assigned for "Him" to play!