Article May 6, 2019 Issue

Listening to our Mother

Ingrid Peschke

Adapted from an article published in The Christian Science Monitor’s Christian Science Perspective column, May 11, 2018.

Last year, our son graduated from college on the weekend that also included Mother’s Day in my country. I couldn’t imagine a better way to celebrate the day.

As I’ve considered the great joy of being a mother, I’ve thought about the role models that have inspired me on my parenting journey. I naturally remember my own mother, as well as both men and women who have been shining examples of parenthood to me and to my children. There are also certain qualities I immediately associate with mothering, such as unconditional love, nurturing, listening, playfulness, spontaneity, patience, tender affection, unselfish care, and inclusiveness.

I’ve always loved the Bible, and when I think of qualities such as love and compassion, the individual that immediately comes to mind is Christ Jesus. While Jesus wasn’t a parent himself, he demonstrated parenting qualities—and so often mothering ones—to the people he taught and healed. For instance, he fed a group of thousands that had listened to him for three days, explaining that he didn’t want to send them away hungry or they might “faint in the way” (see Matthew 15:32–38). And the Bible often highlights how he felt compassion for others and was moved to heal and teach them, showing his Father, God, as the spiritual Parent that cares for us all. He did the will of God by listening for and following His direction.

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