Speaking Of Life 1016 | Mama Bear
Anthony Mullins
Have you ever been warned, “Don’t mess with a mama bear?”
If so, I hope you listened. That’s a mom’s way of saying she will personally deal with any threat that comes to her children. And it won’t be pretty!
It’s an apt analogy to the fury of a mother’s love. Just like a mama bear with her cubs, a mother becomes a menacing foe against any who would come between her and her children.
My heart warms towards mothers who exhibit this bearlike quality. Mama bears communicate clearly that their children are worth fighting for. They also create an atmosphere of safety and comfort where children can live in freedom rather than fear.
These mothers can also serve as a reminder that God the Father, loves us with a mama bear passion.
Jesus said as much about the Father’s heart by using a maternal metaphor of a mother hen. A mother hen stretches out her wings to gather, comfort and protect her chicks. Whether facing foxes or fires, a mother hen will die before giving up her little ones.
Jesus uses this metaphor while traveling to Jerusalem, indicating he would stretch out his arms on the cross. Nothing could stop Jesus from carrying out the Father’s bearlike passion for his children. Anything that came between the Father and his children had to face the fury of the Father’s love. It wasn’t pretty, but in the end, Satan and sin were defeated and death was destroyed.
In light of the cross, we can face our fears with the freedom of faith. Gathered under Jesus’ outstretched wings, we find comfort and protection from all our enemies. Listen to how the psalmist expressed this fearless freedom in the Lord:
“The LORD is my light and my salvation– whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life– of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall.” (Psalm 27:1-3)
We can take courage in facing our enemies of sin and death. They are defeated and destroyed in Jesus. We can turn from all that is against us, because we have a Father who is all for us.
I’m Anthony Mullins, Speaking of Life
