God's maternal love

Isaiah 49: 8-15

"For the Lord has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his suffering ones. But Zion said, 'The Lord has forsaken me, my Lord has forgotten me.' "Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you"

Human love as we experience it in our families is a beautiful gift of God. And yet, many people also experience the complexities of human life that sometimes means a deprivation of human love. In this passage we are reminded of God's maternal love for us.God's love is steadfast even when human love fails.

When I read this passage years ago, I was filled with a yearning to know better the God who spoke these words through his prophet. I had experienced the love of my mother, although, not being her favourite child, I did react as children do when they sense some favoritism. My journey has been one of discovering anew my "belovedness": first acknowledging my mother's unique love for her only daughter, limited as she was by her own insecurities, then slowly experiencing the God who regards me with delight and tenderness...Be-ing the beloved is only the first of many steps towards be-coming the beloved.