We all need love. God is love and as we are made in His image, we are made for love.

From our first breath, we need the warm embrace of love. And for many of us, it was a mother who gave us that first taste of God’s love and faithfulness. In her glowing countenance, her soft and warm embrace, in countless nursings and gentle words and caresses, we connected with Love. When a mother cuddles and coos, brushes away tears and wipes a little bottom, she makes the world a safe place to live and to grow.

Mothers are our first experience of the soft side of God. And if we miss out, we are hampered in connecting with other humans and may find it nearly impossible to connect with God. While scripture assures us that He is “Father to the fatherless” (Psalm 68:5), it never asserts that He is Mother to the motherless. It may be that the divine love of God cannot penetrate a heart that has not first been opened to human affection.

Like John the Baptist preparing the way for Christ, mothers provide a gateway to God. While they are not our only shot at connecting with lovingkindness, they are almost always our first opportunity and in their successes and failures can encourage our belief and bonding with the Almighty.

Those of us who had warm, attentive and attuned mothers can celebrate today what God did for us through them and thank our moms who are yet living for being the vessel of His grace. Those of us who missed out on a satisfying link with mom, can celebrate those who through God’s grace, showed us through warm interactions, His maternal affection and unconditional love.

All of us can serve as mother when we reach out to one of God’s hurting little ones. When we see someone hungry or hurting, lost or alone, we can share that love that God pours into our hearts as He does for mothers toward their young.

So let today be an exultation of connection with other humans who have loved us as mothers, and for the unexplainable and weighty gift of giving others a taste of God.

“Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”              Mark 3:35