Oh my goodness, yes and amen. I feel this caps-lock, exclamation-studded outrage everywhere in life - WHERE IS THE MOTHER?!!!! I really appreciate how you talk about liturgy and struggling to pray to Mother, Son, and Holy Spirit. That tension is real and worthwhile. I really appreciate your voice and perspective in all this!
So good ... "Something profound is lost individually and communally when we are not mothered. This is the glaring omission in our theology and theological imaginations I want to expose and correct." I've come to know and believe God is both Father & Mother and am also trying to figure out how to share that profound truth in my life and "circle of influence" (family, church etc) - without being shut down or dismissed as being "heretical"!
This is wild to reflect on.. as a child and preteen, I enjoyed the motherless stories and remember thinking about how they mirrored my experience in childhood. Stories of princesses and girls thriving despite lost mothers gave me hope. I could see myself. But now as a present mother myself, it is very much a “wait, what.. where’s the mother where is my experience now?!” Then to see this theme echoed through the theology I learned in my twenties continues to have me lost and longing. I always love reading your reflections and teachings—I’m hopeful our daughters (and all the girls of the next generation) will have so many more stories of God as mother in their viewpoints and memories to help them know their own experiences and deepen their faith walks.
Also, I love that your son just waned to read at the play place… Preposterous. And precious.
Oof. That book. Love all of your formation ideas, especially the Brother Lawrence one. I guess I've thought a lot about the spirituality in mothering acts, but never explicitly made the Brother Lawrence connection. I felt like I left the idea of practicing the presence of God behind sometime when things "got too busy," which is ironic, and I'm receiving your post as a gift offering it back to me as a possible connection point with God.
Oh my goodness, yes and amen. I feel this caps-lock, exclamation-studded outrage everywhere in life - WHERE IS THE MOTHER?!!!! I really appreciate how you talk about liturgy and struggling to pray to Mother, Son, and Holy Spirit. That tension is real and worthwhile. I really appreciate your voice and perspective in all this!
“The tension is real and worthwhile.” - yes and amen. Thanks for reading and sharing, friend!
So brilliant. So timely. So achingly true.
Beautifully written ❤️
So good ... "Something profound is lost individually and communally when we are not mothered. This is the glaring omission in our theology and theological imaginations I want to expose and correct." I've come to know and believe God is both Father & Mother and am also trying to figure out how to share that profound truth in my life and "circle of influence" (family, church etc) - without being shut down or dismissed as being "heretical"!
oooof yes, it does require a fair bit of discernment and, in my experience, an abundance of friendship, grace, and curiosity.
This is wild to reflect on.. as a child and preteen, I enjoyed the motherless stories and remember thinking about how they mirrored my experience in childhood. Stories of princesses and girls thriving despite lost mothers gave me hope. I could see myself. But now as a present mother myself, it is very much a “wait, what.. where’s the mother where is my experience now?!” Then to see this theme echoed through the theology I learned in my twenties continues to have me lost and longing. I always love reading your reflections and teachings—I’m hopeful our daughters (and all the girls of the next generation) will have so many more stories of God as mother in their viewpoints and memories to help them know their own experiences and deepen their faith walks.
Also, I love that your son just waned to read at the play place… Preposterous. And precious.
It’s wild what a prevalent and enduring theme it is. Grateful this resonates with you (particularly the part about Anders wanting to just read!).
Oof. That book. Love all of your formation ideas, especially the Brother Lawrence one. I guess I've thought a lot about the spirituality in mothering acts, but never explicitly made the Brother Lawrence connection. I felt like I left the idea of practicing the presence of God behind sometime when things "got too busy," which is ironic, and I'm receiving your post as a gift offering it back to me as a possible connection point with God.
Yes and amen. It feels like the difference between thinking about God to thinking with God.