Like those who lift infants to their cheeks
In one of my very first undergraduate religion courses at Campbell, I was delighted to learn of several verses throughout the Old Testament in which God is described using female imagery. Of course, I had grown up hearing God called “Father,” and was familiar with all of God’s more masculine qualities, but these more nurturing images of God were new territory.
The book of Hosea says that God is like one who lifts infants to their cheeks and who bends down to feed them and teaches them to walk. Deuteronomy says that God is like a mother eagle, who hovers over her own and protects them with her wings. Isaiah compares God to a nursing mother, and one who comforts her children.
These are all beautiful images that are meaningful even to those without children, yet I didn’t fully grasp what they meant until I had babies of my own. Now, as I watch Camille walking into her Kindergarten classroom and as I swaddle Margot tight before bedtime, these images of God are ones that stick in my mind.
To me, these images say that God delights in us the same way I delight in Margot and Camille. God knows our scent, our sounds, our softness by heart. God wakes with us at night when we are afraid of the strange darkness and holds our hand when we encounter something new and scary. God runs God’s fingers through our hair, holds us close to God’s chest, provides for us nourishment. God always knows where we are and what we need and is always nearby. When we are sad, God feels it. When we are joyful, God feels that too.
The image of God as a nursing mother is one that is particularly strong. Science has shown that when babies nurse, some of their saliva is sucked back into the mother’s breast. This saliva contains information about the baby's needs - what infections or viruses to which the baby may have been exposed. Then, the mother’s body gets to work providing the antibodies needed for the baby to fight those infections. The composition of the mother’s milk changes based on the baby's specific needs at that time. Some scientists even suggest that the temperature of the milk produced changes in relation to the baby's body temperature. Generally speaking, when a woman gives birth, the first thing that happens is the baby is brought to the mother’s breast. When a baby nurses, she and the mom become one being, sharing an incredibly intimate and unique bond from that very first earthside moment.
If God is like a nursing mother, then we share an incredibly intimate bond with God - from our very first breath, our needs are met and we are provided for before we even realize what it is that we lack. We have a unique oneness with God. And just as a human mom feels some discomfort when she goes too long without nursing, we can imagine that God feels some discomfort when we are distant from God as well. God longs to hold us close, just as sometimes I can’t stand not to be holding Margot, smelling the very top of her head.
Rest in this final thought: if we are human, flawed, yet capable of unimaginable love for our children, how much more must God, who is perfect, love us?
