Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Voices of Women of Spirit and Faith

Home
New Visions
Women in Religion
From “Me and You and Mom”

From “Me and You and Mom”

Last updated on: October 21, 2011 at 7:09 pm by Women of Spirit and Faith

From “Me and You and Mom” 2011-10-21T19:09:12+00:00 Women of Spirit and Faith

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

by Kathe Schaaf

And then there was a day when I was a girl

when I could not help but notice

(as all little girls

must notice

if only for a moment)

that God did not appear to be a woman,

not a Mother;

that God did not offer a lap

where I could come for comfort.

Ever.

It did not occur to me then to question

what kind of God this must be,

but only served to confirm

what I already had observed:

that to be a woman

did not seem to be a place of power;

that to be a woman

did not seem to offer a divine place to stand;

that to be a woman

somehow left me

further from God.

(But not really…)

I listened carefully to the prayers

and the hymns

and the sermons

in the church of my childhood,

and I could find no evidence

that I was not,

because I was female,

somehow,

further from God.

Every parable,

every story,

seemed to confirm

what I already knew,

what the dragons whispered

from the secret cave

deep within me:

I was not only a poor miserable sinner

but a woman,

and she was the biggest sinner of all,

the original sinner.

And there was no lap

where I could come

for comfort

in the face of that.

Yet somehow,

somewhere

in the far distance,

I kept hearing a maternal voice,

that would whisper

validation,

encouragement,

subtle clues

and sacred mysteries.

If I listened,

I could find myself

from time to time

in the middle of a miracle

that could take my breathe away.

If I listened,

I could discern

a delicate and graceful pattern

in the ebb and flow of my life.

If I listened,

I could end up

both on the edge

of my own learning and

nestled in a lap

where I felt comfort.

This was a Mother,

a miracle of a Mother,

who exhaled courage

and had no use for fear;

who would maintain

loving eye contact

in the face of all my rambling stories;

who celebrated me

and urged me to be big.

This was a Mother,

who was in me

whenever

I would let her be.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

October 3, 2011

Blessings

Next Post

October 8, 2011 What is "the Divine Feminine"?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 28-day meditation challenge A new world Alchemy: Occupy Your Sacred Self Ancestors and Spiritual Evolution Consciousness Ending violence against women Holiday season: quiet time or chaos? How has She blessed you in 2011? inter-being. Interfaith Invitation to blog: What does a world transformed by the Divine Feminine look like? Sounds like? Taste like? Smell like? Living the Divine Feminine Mother Work Mothers and mothering On Feminine Ground Owning Our Wisdom Parliament of Worlds Religions Personal rituals or practices that keep you in touch with the Divine Feminine Reclaiming the heart of our humanity Reflections on WSF retreat Sacred Love Stepping Stones on the Spiritual Path The next generation Tugging at your heart Uncategorized Videos: women of spirit and faith What are you longing for? What are you noticing? What are your dreams/intuitions telling you? What gets stirred up in you when you hear the words "War on Women"? What happens when women lead? What is "the Divine Feminine"? What is the Devine Fem calling you to do? What wants to Emerge? When we act as the Divine Feminine... Who inspires you? Why I am a... Women of Spirit and Faith

Select a Month January 2017 December 2016 November 2015 October 2015 August 2015 July 2015 May 2015 April 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz