Honor mothers by sharing unconditional love

James Shepherd

May 8, 2010

When I think of my mom, I think of how she enjoyed my three brothers and me. She played with us. Sometimes she gave us advice. She supported our decisions even when she didn’t completely agree with us. She would give us special gifts or cook us our favorite meals. She prayed for us and we felt the blessings of it. There was no question that she always had our best interest in mind.

Some years ago when my children were young, our family took up skiing. I hadn’t skied for some time, and, believe me, I needed an upgrade in my ski gear! At that time our family was going through a rough patch financially, and I was wrestling with whether or not to purchase new skis for myself. In a way, I was struggling with whether I deserved it or not.

Then the thought came to me, “What would my mom want for me?” A short while before this, she had bought me a bike. She knew that I pedaled to the office every day, and so she thought I should have a new bike. As I thought about that, I realized that if it was up to her, she would say “Yes!” to the new skis, too.

This sealed the deal for me. I didn’t want her to find out about the skis or she might buy them for me. So I quickly bought them myself. And I paid an additional $100 for safety releases to be mounted on the skis — because I knew that Mom would have wanted that for me.

My wife has this same unconditional love and care for our children, as do so many other moms I know. This dependable, widespread evidence of mother love, to me, hints at a source so much larger than any human person.

The Bible speaks of God as the source of love (“God is love” [1 John 4:8]). It also gives me the realization of the continual nurturing and mothering of God.

“As an eagle stirs up her nest, flutters over her young, spreads abroadher wings, takes them, bears them on her wings: So the Lord alone did lead him...” (Deut. 32:11, 12).

I believe our Creator, our mother-father God, loves us more than we know. This divine mother enjoys us. She is able to tenderly and powerfully meet every one of our needs. She wants only good for us — only the very best.

Today if I find myself questioning my value, I’ll ask myself, “What would my Mother-God want for me?” This question helps me to see myself as worthy of receiving good.

Down through the ages, all over the world, we find mothers who are shining examples of the unconditional mother-love of God. They show the lengths to which a mother’s love will go in order to meet her child’s needs. What better tribute can we give to our mom today — and to all moms worldwide — than to see and treat ourselves and others with this same mother-love?

James Shepherd is a Christian Science practitioner and member of First Church of Christ, Scientist, Eugene. This column is coordinated by Lane Interfaith Alliance to offer inspiration, share personal spiritual experiences and bring a deeper understanding of individual faith perspectives with the intention of blessing our community and world. For information, visitwww.laneinterfaithalliance.org or call 541-344-0430.