Taken Up to Him

"Our courteous Lord answered for comfort and patience, and said these words: Suddenly thou shalt be taken from all thy pain, from all thy sickness, from all thy distress and from all thy woe. And thou shalt come up above and thou shalt have me to thy meed (reward), and thou shalt be fulfilled of love and of bliss. And thou shalt never have no manner of pain, no manner of misliking, no wanting of will; but ever joy and bliss without end."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 64)

Julian of Norwich saw so much suffering and hardship, sorrow and trouble around her. She thought about how hard life is down here and how wonderful life is up in heaven, and she longed to go there. And Christ told her that one day she would be taken away from all her pain, distress, sorrow and sickness, and would come to heaven and have Him for her reward. No suffering or trouble on earth is even worthy to compare with the glorious joy of being with Christ in heavenly bliss! Just being with Him like that fills a person with joy and love so that they are saturated through and through with the presence, love and happiness of Christ. All will be purity of love, fullness of wellbeing, happiness without end! We can certainly know some of that heavenly bliss here on earth as we commune with God in our spirit, Spirit and spirit being one, but oh what a fulfillment it will be heaven, knowing Him so fully and being so full of love and joy, with no presence of sorrow, pain, fear, doubt, worry, struggle, sin or trouble!  All will be well! What a wonderful future we have to look forward to. And every day just living here on earth, not yet in heaven, we are bringing the presence of heaven to earth by just living here as God's children, for the Spirit keeps shining through us, spreading the love and joy of heaven here on earth, getting us all ready for the glorious fulfillment of all our hopes and dreams of love and belonging and joy in God's presence!

"We are of good courage and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord."

2 Corinthians 5:8 (NASB)

A Prayer: I look forward to coming home to You and being happy forever in Your presence, with no sorrow or pain!

Home by Grace

"All His blessed children which be come out of Him by Nature shall be brought again into Him by Grace."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 63)

We come from God. That's our family. That's who we come from and who we belong with. We have divine DNA within us and bear the family likeness. And our Trinity family dotes on us and adores us as the dear little beloved children we are, precious treasures that are irreplaceable. In the Trinity's eyes we are perfect and lovable and can do no wrong. We are just innocent and sweet little kids. It's true that little children can get themselves into messes. They can wander off into the dark woods and get lost and not be able to find their way back. They can get scared as night falls and they hear strange sounds in the woods, and they can be paralyzed with fear and think all kinds of crazy things. And in the darkness when they can't see around them, they can fall down into a ravine and get hurt and find that they are unable to get up or get out of the ravine. 

But the children are still the responsibility of the Parents. We are not out on our own having to pull ourselves up, mend our wounds ourselves, clean ourselves up and find our way home, having to make ourselves presentable before we will be let back in. No! Our Trinity family is responsible for our welfare. When we get lost, God comes after us just like a shepherd looking for his lost little lambs. God looks for us and finds us, every last one. God takes us up in His arms and carries us home. God washes us, cleans up and cares for our wounds, gives us a warm bath and a warm meal, with lots of hugs and kisses, rocks us to sleep and then tucks us safely into our beds. We are the family of God, God's little adorable children, and no matter what mess we have gotten into, God brings us back home safe and sound. All the little children that have come from God by nature (by being created from Him) come back to Him by grace (meaning God does it all, out of love). Our story was never in danger of having a bad ending. Our story has always been wrapped up in His love, and the ending was always assured: and they lived happily ever after!

"I will be like a shepherd looking for his scattered flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day. I will bring them back home.... I will feed them...I myself will tend my sheep and give them a place to lie down in peace, says the Sovereign Lord. I will search for my lost ones who strayed away, and I will bring them safely home again. I will bandage the injured and strengthen the weak....They will live in safety, and no one will frighten them." 

Ezekiel 34:12-13, 15-16, 28 (NLT)

A Prayer: Your grace is so wonderful! I'm safely home with where I belong - with You forever!

No Higher State than Childhood

"And I understood none higher stature in this life than Childhood, in feebleness and failing of might and of wit, unto the time that our Gracious Mother hath brought us up to our Father's Bliss....And then shall the Bliss of our Mother, in Christ, be new to begin in the Joys of our God: which new beginning shall last without end, new beginning."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 63)

We don't have to know everything. We don't have to be strong. It's okay for us to need help and care. It's okay for us to be little. The highest state for us is to be a little child before God, innocent and trusting in the care of our Gracious Mother God. God mothers us and takes care of us as little children and knows that we are small and weak and don't have all the answers. And it's okay because our Mother has the wisdom and strength needed. Our dear Mother will take care of all we need, carrying us, loving us, nurturing us, till we come to heaven and know the fullness of our Father's bliss over us. Then all shall truly be well forever, and we will be in joy and peace and love forever within the Trinity family. This joyful state will always be fresh and new and will last forevermore!

"In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

Psalm 16:11 (ESV)

A Prayer: Thank You for the way You take care of me, Your little child.

The Fair Virtues of Children

"Fair and sweet is our Heavenly Mother in the sight of our souls; precious and lovely are the Gracious Children in the sight of our Heavenly Mother, with mildness and meekness, and all the fair virtues that belong to children in Nature. For of nature the Child despaireth not of the Mother's love, of nature the Child presumeth not of itself, of nature the Child loveth the Mother and each one of the other [children]."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 63)

What a wonderful and caring Mother God we have! If we think of the best mother this world could have in it, and how much that mother would pour out herself for her child, that is only a faint echo of the Mother love our God has for us! Our God is the most loving, kind, gentle, sweet, understanding, faithful and beautiful Mother of all! We could not have a better Mother than God and we couldn't be loved and cared for any more tenderly than God our Mother loves and cares for us. Our wonderful Mother sees us always as the apple of the eye, always sees us innocent and sweet, always adores us, always calls us "my darling little ones."

We are the blessed and precious children of that wonderful Mother, and we have all the goodness and innocence of little children. Our true and inner self is innocent and sweet. That inner child trusts implicitly in its Mother's love and never doubts its presence. That innocent one knows it is small and needing help and always looks to the Mother to give that help and provide all that is needed. So that little one doesn't have a single worry or care, doesn't need a thing, knowing what it is like to be in the safest and best place of all - in the care of a Perfect Loving Mother. That child has all needs satisfied and is completely quiet and at rest, knowing with certainty that the Mother's love will always be there wrapping around like a warm blanket. So that little inner child naturally loves the Mother and all the other children of the Mother. This is our true self, the innocent child who has never been harmed and never done any harm, who has always been loved and always reaches out in openness and love. This is our true way of being, and it is natural for us, since we are children of Love, to be loving too. We may not always see this little innocent one that is inside of us, but God our Mother is bringing that little one to feel free to come on out, simply by loving us with no expectations or limits. God our Mother is healing our hearts with love, Mother love that loves no matter what, that always believes the best about the child, that is always open and embracing and accepting. With such love pouring over us, our inner child can feel safe and ready to come out and play again, come forth and live freely again, come forth and be a little light of holy and innocent love in the world! That is the power of our Mother's love!

"You will be seen as innocent, faultless and pure children of God....You will appear...as shining lights in the universe, holding out the words of eternal life."

Philippians 2:15-16 (TPT)

A Prayer: O God my perfect and sweet Mother, Your love for me frees me to be my real self, makes my inner person shine with joy and love!

Nourished in Endless Life

"And in the taking of our nature He quickened us; in His blessed dying upon the Cross He bare us to endless life; and from that time, and now, and evermore...He feedeth us and furthereth us: even as that high sovereign Kindness of Motherhood, and as Kindly need of Childhood asketh."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 63)

When Christ took on human nature on earth, He didn't just bring us back to good earthly life; in His resurrection, He birthed us to wonderful, always abounding heavenly life. Like any good mother, our Mother Christ is always feeding and nourishing us in this new life, so we may experience it fully. He feeds us with His grace, love and encouragement and it makes us strong, happy and thriving. A steady diet of grace and love is just what we need, and this is what makes us to grow. He continually encourages us and reminds us of our belovedness and righteousness, and of His closeness and care, and this propels us forward in this resurrection life. There is always more to explore of the wonders of God's grace and love. There are always new vistas of glory and peace and love to experience. We will keep on being astounded in awe and wonder at the love of God and will keep on experiencing the depth of God's grace and beauty. Just being with our Mother Christ we are nourished and filled to abundance, and we find ourselves effortlessly growing and thriving. And this strengthening and thriving is not by our self-effort or by trying to keep all the rules and regulations. It is Christ's love that nourishes us and builds us up. It is Christ's affirmation that makes us thrive and shine and really come into our own as children of God. It's simply the nature of the mother, and the delight of the mother, to love and to care for her child and nourish and encourage the child's growth and happiness. Our Mother Christ would not want to do anything else than care for our needs!

 "I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of."

John 10:10 (MSG)

"Gaining inner strength from God’s kindness  is good for us. This strength does not come from following rules.." 

Hebrews 13:9 (GW)

"In your generous love I am really living at last!"

Psalm 63:3 (MSG)

A Prayer: I'm thriving in Your unconditional love and grace!

Love is Natural, Sin is Unnatural

"Sin... is contrary to our fair nature. For as verily as sin is unclean, so verily is it unnatural."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 63)

Our nature is good, fair and beautiful. Deep down we want to do good, be loving, and care about others. And we respond to goodness, love and care in positive ways, for love draws out our good nature to express itself in love. Sin is absolutely the opposite of our good, God-made, in-God's-image, nature. We are naturally good and clean and sin is unnatural and abnormal to us. The normal and natural way for us to be is to be good, kind, loving, and peaceful. So to sin is to go against who we really are and to act in an unnatural or foreign manner. 

So why do we seem to fall into sin so easily? There are so many possible answers to that question, including reasons like confusion, weakness, blindness, fear, trauma, delusion, desire, influences, lack, pain, entrapment, alienation, legalism, and lies. But one thing to know is that the reason we can fall into sin is NOT because we are naturally bad or evil. God created us in His image and that image is still within us. God called humanity "very good" and that is still true of us as God's creation. Our basic makeup has not changed. What changed was our perception of ourselves, especially before God. Perhaps some of the biggest errors in our perception of ourselves have been to see ourselves as unloved or unlovable, defective or inferior, separated or alone, bad or evil. If we think we are defective, lacking, alone, and unloved, this causes pain and we may then be vulnerable to suggestions that are unhealthy as ways to alleviate that pain. But Christ has come to show us that we are lovable, worthy, not alone, and good. He has come to call us back to the truth of our being as "very good" and beloved by God. God has never stopped seeing who we really are under the layers of wrong ideas and confused actions.God has not known us as bad or defective or unlovely, because that is not a true picture of our being. God only knows what really is, what is actually true, and so He has only known us for who we really are - lovely, good, whole and true children of God. Christ is the progenitor of the human race, for we were all created by and through Him. So Christ comes to show us not only the face of God His Father, as the face of pure uncreated love, but also the face of humans His siblings, as the face of pure created love. 

Can we dare to see the beauty that Christ has in ourselves also? Can we dare to believe that because the root, Christ, is good, the branches growing out of Him, all of us, are good as well? Can we dare to believe that as He is, so are we? Can we dare to believe that as the Father loves Christ, with the same intensity the Father also loves us? Can we dare to hold our heads high because Christ isn't ashamed to call us His family? We are worthy, beautiful, lovable, good children of God. God made us that way. That has never changed! No matter how confused we have gotten and how many wrong things we have done, sin is unnatural to us. It is only natural to us to love, to trust our Father, to be good. 

"As he is, so are we in this world."

1 John 4:17 (KJV)

"God made men and women true and upright."

Ecclesiastes 7:29 (MSG)

A Prayer: I dare to call myself lovely and loving, because You, Love, made me like Yourself!

Flawless, Faultless Nature

"For it shall be seen afore God by all His Holy in joy without end that Nature hath been assayed in the fire of tribulation and therein hath been found no flaw, no fault."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 63)

Our nature comes from Christ's beautiful nature as its source. Christ's nature is fair, beautiful and good, so that means our nature derived from His is also fair, beautiful and good. Even though we go through many ups and downs here on earth, make many mistakes and bring ourselves to ruin oftentimes, our nature is still good. Our nature doesn't change depending on our changing behavior or circumstances. Our nature stays the same, as it is a characteristic of our being and simply part of what it is to be human. Through all the trials and tribulations of earthly life, our nature, founded in Christ's nature and truly derived from and part of Christ, remains unchanged and faultless, pure and flawless. Christ's nature in us, as our own nature, is perfectly good and right and unchanging. We do not have to worry that we have become or will become bad or evil. We are always good because we are always based in the good Christ. He is actually in us as our good nature. And He is unchanging. Through any trial He remains the same flawless goodness and love, oriented towards the Father and wanting His will. And thus we are kept good and noble and oriented towards God by the nature that is created in us, made of the uncreated nature of Christ! God will rejoice forever in His holy, pure, innocent, and good children who came through tribulations, troubles and difficulties on earth but were ever His holy, pure, innocent, and good children, good with the good nature of Christ as their own! Evil could never have us. We never belong to evil. We are children of God and permanently good like our Father. We may not have always lived that out or manifested that clearly, but it has always been true deep down. And nothing could change that!

"Here and now we are God’s children. We don’t know what we shall become in the future. We only know that, if reality were to break through, we should reflect his likeness, for we should see him as he really is!"

1 John 3:2 (PHP)

A Prayer: Thank You for giving me a good nature, from Christ Himself within me as my source.

It's About Family

"Nature is all good and fair in itself, and Grace was sent out to save Nature and destroy sin, and bring again fair nature to the blessed point from whence it came: that is God; with more nobleness and worship by the virtuous working of Grace."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 63)

It's really always been about family. We have made it about sin and guilt and law and condemnation and death and punishment. But it has really always only been about family. We are family with God. God is Father, Mother, Brother to us. We came forth from God and have always been sons and daughters of God. We have always belonged in the family circle of the Godhead as treasured, precious children. Our nature is God-like, inherited from God, and therefore good and noble, fair and virtuous. We heard and believed a lie about who we are, getting confused and thinking we were not God's children, not good enough, not belonging with God. We felt God was pulling back from us, that He was not satisfied with us, that He was judging us, that He was angry with us. This is one way to look at what we call sin - simply believing lies about who we are and who God is. Because of believing such lies, we felt estranged from God and separated from Him. But we were only alienated from Him in our minds. This confused thinking caused so much anguish and suffering for us as we tried to live on our own the life we were meant to live in union relationship with God. We were missing out on the fellowship, love, acceptance, and belonging that God always had there for us. Christ came and reconciled us back to knowing God as Father, as love, as grace, and back to knowing ourselves as God's children, as precious, as beloved. He saved our fair and good nature from sin - from the lies we had believed that were keeping us from relationship with our Trinity family. Now  we can enjoy those family bonds of love and fellowship again. Our minds have been brought back to the place we came from, have been brought home to God, even though He was truly with us all along. The difference is that now the dark clouds of confusion are gone and we can see Him here with us! We can see that we are home, that we really only left home in our minds. Now can truly enjoy being home. Relationship is restored. We can share happy times together. We can enjoy belonging, enjoy acceptance, enjoy life together! All we have gone through has simply raised us to new heights in our awareness of just how much God loves us, of just how far God would go to rescue us from our darkness and confusion and pain. We are bonded more closely than ever and given even more joys and honor, treated as precious and celebrated with parties. And we shall never be estranged in that relationship with God ever again. We are family and we are permanently safe there in relationship with God. It's always been about family!

God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. 

Romans 8:16 (MSG)

A Prayer: I'm home with You where I belong, where I have always belonged!

All Was Made Ready

"It is [of] our precious Christ, and to Him was this fair nature adight (prepared) for the worship and nobility of man's making, and for the joy and bliss of man's salvation; even as He saw, wist (was aware), and knew from without beginning."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 62)

Human nature comes from Christ. In fact it was first prepared for Christ long before we came on the scene. It was made for Christ before it was ever made for us, for He is the Lamb slain as a human being from the foundation of the world. This fair human nature of Christ served as the template for humanity's creation. And this fair nature of Christ served as the means of man's salvation. All was prepared before we were even created, before anyone even sinned, before there was even a need for salvation. Yet all was ready and in fact done before our history even began. It is as if Christ said, "You humans will come forth from Me, with a nature sourced in my own nature. You will be very good. You will be sons and daughters of God. And I know that you will be changeable and susceptible to false paths, and I know that you will make mistakes, get confused, fall down and even die. But it is okay, because I am the resurrection and the life. By My nature you were created and by My nature you are saved. My perfect human nature will completely do the work needed and I will raise you up from death with me. You will share my resurrection life with Me, in union with Me. And all shall be well!"

The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him.

Romans 8:29 (MSG)

A Prayer: I see now I have always been like You. I came from You. We are family. I love knowing that I have always belonged! Thank You for rescuing me from the confused places I ended up when I forgot who I was or how I belonged with You. Thank You for this wonderful life within Your family circle!

His Nature is Whole in Us

"For of all natures that He hath set in diverse creatures by part, in man is all the whole; in fullness and in virtue, in fairness and in goodness, in royalty and nobleness, in all manner of majesty, of preciousness and worship."

Julian of Norwich (ch. 62)

All that is created comes from the mind and will of God. He sends forth all natures, all kinds of living things, and each kind of living thing has the stamp of God as Creator and something of the Nature of Christ through whom all is created. But in humans alone is found the whole Nature of Christ, for we are made in the image and likeness of God, so much so that Christ calls us His brothers and sisters. We are children of God that bear the family likeness and have a nature deriving from Christ. Thus our nature is full of virtue, goodness, and beauty like Christ, and our nature is truly Christlike. As deriving and coming forth from Christ, our nature is royal, noble, and majestic and it is truly precious and valued. We may often feel broken, inferior, defective or incomplete, but according to God we are beautiful, good, noble and precious. According to God we are like Christ Himself. According to God there is nothing wrong with us, nothing wrong with our creation in His image, nothing wrong with our humanity deriving from Christ, nothing wrong with our nature that is sourced in Christ's nature. Instead of putting ourselves down, we can see ourselves as valuable and virtuous as Christ, as lovely and precious as every other person, as complete and whole as when we were first created. We can value and honor ourselves and every other person, and treat ourselves with dignity and love, as God does. For it is delightful to the Father to see His own features reflected in His children!

"You made them a little lower than the angels; you crowned them with glory and honor.."

Hebrews 2:7 (NIV)

A Prayer: Thank You for seeing in me Your family image and likeness.

From Him and To Him

"That Goodness that is Nature, it is God. He is the ground, He is the substance, He is the same thing that is Nature-hood. And He is very Father and very Mother of Nature: and all natures that He hath made to flow out of Him to work His will shall be restored and brought again into Him by the salvation of man through the working of Grace."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 62)

God is our Father and God is our Mother. God is the parent reference and source of our nature, the ground from which we come forth. And we have the assurance that all natures flow from Him to do His will, and His will will surely be done, for all natures will be restored and brought back into Him through grace. Grace is working from beginning to end, and we can rest assured that all will be well for all natures. All humans have come from God and will end up in God. No matter how much we lost sight of our origin and true identity as coming from God, we are restored and brought back into God as our destination and true home that we inevitably return to. All is grace. God has brought us forth and God will bring us home to Him. Noone will be left out or forgotten. The last little lost sheep will be found and returned home to the safety of the Shepherd's fold. For all will answer His call and return, brought back by the irresistible pull of grace. All the little sheep belong to the Shepherd and know His voice, and they all follow Him when He calls. And all will be well.

For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. [For all things originate with Him and come from Him; all things live through Him, and all things center in and tend to consummate and to end in Him.] To Him be glory forever! Amen (so be it).

Romans 11:36 (AMPC)

And the sheep recognize the voice of the true Shepherd, for he calls his own by name and leads them out, for they belong to him. 

John 10:3 (TPT)

They shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. 

Jeremiah 31:34 (ESV)

A Prayer: Thank You for the promise of bringing all the lost little sheep home to You.

Greater Glory

"He shewed our frailty and our fallings, our afflictings and our settings at nought, our despites and our outcastings, and all our woe so far forth as methought it might befall in this life. And therewith He shewed His blessed Might, His blessed Wisdom, His blessed Love: that He keepeth us in this time as tenderly and as sweetly to His worship, and as surely to our salvation, as He doeth when we are in most solace and comfort. And thereto He raiseth us spiritually and highly in heaven, and turneth it all to His worship and to our joy, without end."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 62)

We may think that we have made so much of a mess of our lives that we are not any good to anyone, especially God. We may regret years that seem wasted in sin, confusion, struggle or darkness. We may feel too far gone to even be accepted or loved. But God has something astonishing to show us: His love for us and His tender care for us are still the same. God isn't fazed by our messups. Even at rock bottom, when we feel we have shriveled up and feel basically dead, He is there as our resurrection. He is always keeping us in His love. He is always working things out for good. He is always working with His resurrection power to bring hope and healing and life. In fact, He is bringing us to a greater glory through all our messes, bringing us to greater joys, greater revelations of His love, greater experiences of His grace and goodness than we would have known if we hadn't gone through our dark times. Nothing is wasted with Him. He saw all this mess, struggle, and difficulty coming and already worked it out for good, greater good than ever. Our problems, dark times, and even our sins are nothing compared to the heights of glory and bliss we will experience with Him!

"Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us."

2 Corinthians 4:16-17 (MSG)

"Your goodness and unfailing kindness shall be with me all of my life, and afterwards I will live with you forever in your home."

Psalm 23:6 (TLB)

A Prayer: Thank You for working even my failures out for good. Thank You that there is a greater glory coming!

The Child Naturally Trusts

"He willeth then that we use the property of a child, that evermore of nature trusteth to the love of the mother in weal and in woe."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 61)

Just as a little child naturally looks to its mother for all that is needed, and naturally trusts its mother to provide all that is needed, so we naturally look to and trust in God. Our outer emotions can go in many directions, and our thoughts can be filled with worry and doubt, but deep inside in our spirit, there is the quietness and innocent trust of a child. In our deepest self we know God and look to God. In our deepest self we seek God and trust God. This is the nature of a child, and the deepest self is God's little child. We just naturally turn to God our Mother when we have a deep need, harsh trouble, or crisis. We can trust God our Mother to help us, for it is natural for the mother to help, care for, and provide for her child. We can expect our Mother's help, can assume it and even take it for granted, for it is simply the Mother's job to help the child. It is sure and certain. Any time that we find our outer feelings and thoughts becoming strongly negative, we can speak to ourselves and remind ourselves, "My Mother Christ will take care of me. My dear Mother won't let me be alone or without help. My dear Mother is holding me and taking care of me right now, just like any good mother would do with her little child. I can trust the love of my sweet Mother, for noone could love me more. It is only natural for my good Mother to help me and it is only natural for me to count on my good Mother to do so."

"The eyes of all look expectantly to You.."

Pslam 145:15 (NKJV)

A Prayer: You take care of my every need. You are a perfect Mother.

Mother's Comfort

"But oftentimes when our falling and our wretchedness is shewed us, we are so sore adread, and so greatly ashamed of our self, that scarcely we find where we may hold us. But then willeth not our courteous Mother that we flee away, for Him were nothing lother. But He willeth then that we use the condition of a child: for when it is hurt, or adread, it runneth hastily to the mother for help, with all its might."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 61)

If a child falls down and gets hurt, the child naturally runs to its mother for comfort and care. If a child is afraid or anxious, the child naturally turns to its mother to feel safe and secure. And if a child makes a mistake, the child can open up and be honest with a good and loving mother, knowing that the mother will be understanding and helpful. So wouldn't Christ our perfect Mother always be gentle, understanding, caring, comforting and encouraging to us, no matter what our situation or need? Christ our Mother never wants us to shrink back in fear or shame because nothing could ever cause this perfect Mother to turn against us, be disappointed with us, or be angry with us.  This perfect Mother Christ wants to be the one we feel totally comfortable turning to, no matter what we have done, what we feel, or what we are going through. For Christ's arms are always open to hold us, Christ's love is always extending to us, Christ's encouragement is always there for us.

Our gentle and kind Mother Jesus has only good and uplifting things to say to us. Christ will always make us feel better, not worse. Christ will never shame us for being human or making mistakes, being tired or struggling with fear or anxiety. Christ knows what it is like to be human and live in this troubled world. Christ knows what it is like to be wounded and suffer. Christ has even known what it is like to feel the weight of sin, for though Christ never sinned, on the cross our dear Savior became sin for us and bore our sin away. So when we are troubled, angry, distraught, fearful, guilty of wrong, ashamed, anxious, lonely, or whatever we are facing or feeling, Christ wants us to use the condition of a child and do what children naturally do. Whenever they are troubled, they know they need help and run to their mother, quickly and without hesitation. There in our Mother Christ's arms we will find all the solace, comfort, encouragement, love and understanding that we could ever need. There we we will find peace and strength. There we will find acceptance and love. Enfolding in that warm embrace, we will know that all is well. We will be able to settle down, relax, be at peace and fall asleep, there in our Mother's arms, knowing all is well. Truly, we have the Best Mother in existence!

"Like a contented child who rests on its mother's lap, I'm your resting child and my soul is content in you."

Psalm 131:2 (TPT)

A Prayer: Thank You for being a wonderful Mother to me and always holding me in Your arms!

Never Perish

"Our heavenly Mother, Jesus, may not suffer us that are His children to perish: for He is All-mighty, All-wisdom, and All-love; and so is none but He,—blessed may He be!"

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 61)

A good earthly mother watches over her child and never lets any real harm come to the child, as much as it is within her power. But our heavenly Mother Jesus watches over us, the children, so perfectly that He never allows any real harm to come to us, even to the point of never allowing us to really perish. Our Mother Jesus has all the love, all the wisdom and all the power needed to keep us from any real or ultimate harm, and that is exactly what this wonderful Mother does. We have eternal life with our Trinity family. Nothing can touch that. Nothing can hinder or halt that relationship of love and union. Family is forever. We are always God's child. We are born of God and cannot go back and be unborn. We are a permanent member of the family and permanently loved and kept safe. Nothing can snatch us from the arms of our heavenly Mother. Nothing can ultimately hurt or defeat us. We are enjoying face to face union relationship with our Trinity family right now and forevermore. For eternal life is just this - to be known by God and to know God, to be loved by God and to love God, to belong, to have perfect relationship, to enjoy close connection, to to enjoy all the acceptance and joy and life that comes from being part of the family of God!

"Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face."

2 Corinthians 3:18 (MSG)

"You put him in charge of everything human So he might give real and eternal life to all in his care. And this is the real and eternal life: That they know you, The one and only true God, And Jesus Christ, whom you sent. I glorified you on earth By completing down to the last detail What you assigned me to do."

John 17:2-3 (MSG)

"And I give them eternal life, and they shall never lose it or perish throughout the ages. [To all eternity they shall never by any means be destroyed.] And no one is able to snatch them out of My hand."

John 10:28 (AMPC)

A Prayer: Just to know You, to be loved by You, to know I am accepted and belong in Your family circle, is real life to me!

A Strong and Marvelous Love

"And by the assay of this falling we shall have an high, marvellous knowing of love in God, without end. For strong and marvellous is that love which may not, nor will not, be broken for trespass."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 61)

It may be reasonable to believe God loves us when we are doing well and feel we are making good decisions. But when we are failing, struggling, making a mess of our life, it can be so difficult to believe God loves us. Yet it is right in the darkest night that the light of His love shines the brightest. When we are at our worst and feel we have nothing to offer God, have nothing in us that deserves His love, that is when His love is most powerful and meaningful. God loves us at our best and at our worst. But it is in the worst moments that we can have the deepest, strongest, most amazing experience of God's love because it is then that we can know with certainty that His love is unconditional. It is then that we can know that His love is not conditioned on our good behavior, strong faith, or success in life. If He loves us when we are down as low as can be, down in the gutter, with our life in ruins, then He will love us always, He will love us faithfully no matter what! 

We can imagine a mother or father loving a child, even when the child has failed so much that all seems ruined. We can imagine the mother or father coming and hugging the child and giving comfort, acceptance and love. Wouldn't God, our Perfect Parent, do this and infinitely more for us? Wouldn't God's love for His children be just as strong and infinitely more dependable? This is a love we can trust to be there for us forever. In fact, God has already demonstrated the strength and faithfulness of His love for us. For if God would show love towards those who murdered His own beloved Son (which was surely the worst thing humanity could do), then certainly He will show love to us no matter what we possibly do. If He takes us at our worst, He takes us always. He has proven His love for us and He will keep proving it in our lives again and again. He gives us a high and marvelous knowing of His love, showing us that the bond of love between us is so strong that no sin, shame, struggle or failure can break that bond. What an amazing love this is, stronger than anything. What a strong and marvelous love, almost beyond our comprehension! It is an unbreakable, unstoppable love. It is an always and forever, dependable love. It is the love God has for you and for me!

"Love puts up with anything and everything that comes along; it trusts, hopes, and endures no matter what."

1 Corinthians 13:7 (VOICE)

"I can always count on you - God, my dependable love."

Psalm 59:16 (MSG)

"But think about this: while we were wasting our lives in sin, God revealed His powerful love to us in a tangible display—the Anointed One died for us."

Romans 5:8 (VOICE)

A Prayer: I feel safe in Your love, because even at my worst, You take me, You accept me, You love me. 

Loved and Valued

"For we shall see verily in heaven, without end, that we have grievously sinned in this life, and notwithstanding this, we shall see that we were never hurt in His love, we were never the less of price in His sight."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 61)

No matter what a child does, the parent never stops loving the child; the parent's love is not diminished in any way. And no matter what a child does, the parent never stops valuing the child; the child's value is never diminished in the parent's eyes in any way. God our Perfect Parent acts the same way toward us, to an ever greater degree and with even more certainty. We can be sure that nothing we do will ever change God's love for us, cause God to love us less, or make Him stop loving us. And we can be sure that nothing we do will ever change the way God sees us or who we are in His eyes, cause us to lose value or cause Him to change His opinion of us. We are always God's precious, beloved children. This assessment has nothing to do with our behavior, our words, our feelings, our thoughts, our knowledge, our faith level, or anything else but just who He made us to be. We are God's precious and beloved children. God loves us and places infinite value on us. These are simply unchangeable, permanent facts of our existence with God!

"His loved ones are very precious to Him."

Psalm 116:15 (TLB)

"My love won't walk away from you."

Isaiah 54:10 (MSG)

A Prayer: Thank You for Your love for me that never changes. Thank You for seeing value in me always.

He Raises Us

"And when we fall, hastily He raiseth us by His lovely calling and gracious touching. And when we be thus strengthened by His sweet working, then we will with all our will choose Him, by His sweet grace.."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 61)

A little child who is learning to walk is not scolded or punished for falling down; instead, the parent is touched with compassion, rushes to the child, picks the child up and, with a hug and kiss, makes sure the child is ok and sends them on their way to try walking again. They do not need to say they are sorry or try to make up for their fall for the parent completely understands that mistakes are part of learning and doesn't see anything wrong in the child's heart. They don't have to try to get back in their parents' good graces, for they never left those good graces. When the child falls, the parent simply acts like a good parent, doing a parent's job: to pick up one's hurting child.

Our dear Savior Jesus parents us in the same way. When we fall, He is not scolding or punishing but rushing to us in compassion to lift us up on our feet again. We don't have to make anything up to Him. He is fine with us. He understands that mistakes happen. He is not grading or judging our performance at all. He is focused on loving us, focused on relationship. He is accepting us just as we are, mistakes and all. And He is telling us His acceptance and love will not change, no matter how we act or whether we improve in lovingkindness or not. He is simply seeing us in a positive light and giving us encouragement, loving us right where we are with no demand for change. And when we experience such grace in the midst of our failures, the love that is truly without condition and the security of knowing that He is committed to us no matter what, it is transforming. It raises us up. We find ourselves choosing His way, being more loving to ourselves and others, resting in faith. All along, His way has been grace, not law. Grace is what strengthens us, not law. Grace is what raises us up when we fall. When we see that, experience that from Him, it is life-changing. When you know that you are loved, accepted and safe no matter what you do, it transforms you: you find yourself relaxing, falling in love with God and wanting to love everyone around you. We fall, but grace keeps on raising us every time.

"I drew them to me with affection and love. I picked them up and held them to my cheek.."

Hosea 11:4 (GNT)

"When I said, 'My foot is slipping,' your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy."

Psalm 94;18-19 (NIV)

A Prayer: Thank You for being there for me and picking me up when I fall.

New Creation Living

"And in our spiritual forthbringing He useth more tenderness of keeping, without any likeness: by as much as our soul is of more price in His sight. He kindleth our understanding, He directeth our ways, He easeth our conscience, He comforteth our soul, He lighteneth our heart, and giveth us, in part, knowing and believing in His blissful Godhead, with gracious mind in His sweet Manhood and His blessed Passion, with reverent marvelling in His high, overpassing Goodness; and maketh us to love all that He loveth, for His love, and to be well-pleased with Him and all His works."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 61)

Christ takes very special care with us in our spiritual rebirthing. Through the resurrection Christ births us into a new life, different from and far better than the life we experienced before, even better than the life Adam had before the fall. We are a new creation brought into a beautiful life with Christ. Christ is living His life in us, and this life is always full of joy, peace, victory and love. Christ works His nature, life and ways in and through us, causing us to walk in His ways. He is the one who give us wisdom and understanding, who guides us, who gives us reassurance that we are perfect and righteous in Him. He comforts and soothes us emotionally, giving us His peace that passes all understanding. He gives us both knowledge of and faith in God and understanding of His person and work. He encourages and uplifts us so that we are so happy we naturally want to be praising Him, for He overwhelms us with love and blessing, showing us how good He is. He brings us to love all He loves, brings us to a life of loving God, ourselves and others.  And He brings us to be totally satisfied with His work, both in salvation and in our daily lives, so that we rest in Him, knowing that nothing needs to be added to the finished and complete work of Christ. He brings us to live a life full of peace, love and good works, and even though we are doing things, it is Christ who lives through us and does the loving, does the working. The whole Christian life, the life of the new creation, is grace, for it is Christ who births it in us and brings it to growth and fruition in us. What a wonderful God we have and what a wonderful life with Him is this new creation life!

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)

"And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes.."

Ezekiel 36:27 (ESV)

A Prayer: Thank You for living in me by grace, not law. Thank You for living in me!

Growing by Grace and Love

"The Kindly, loving Mother that witteth (understands) and knoweth the need of her child, she keepeth it full tenderly, as the nature and condition of Motherhood will. And as it waxeth (grows) in age, she changeth her working, but not her love."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 60)

Mothers care for their children's needs, matching their care to the child's situation, disposition and age. And even moreso, our Mother Christ takes care of all our needs. Christ knows us better than anyone else ever could, taking into account our disposition, situation and maturity. Christ gives us exactly what we need, not in small amounts but in abundance. Christ keeps us and helps us, nurtures us and encourages us, doing everything that needs to be done for our growth. For we grow by grace, through His nurturing care, and we grow by just knowing Him, experiencing His love. We don't have to feel like it is all up to us to learn, grow, understand or mature. Christ is in charge of all that and we grow by grace, by His working in and through us. 

Christ is a nurturing and kind mother. This Mother doesn't force or push us around by harsh demands, judging of behavior or punishment. This Mother fosters our growth by love, tenderness, gentleness, patience, kindness, goodness, and understanding. This Mother draws out the best in us by unconditionally loving us, supporting us even when we fail, and always strengthening and encouraging us, seeing the best in us and drawing it out by believing in us even when we can't believe in ourselves. This Mother is all about grace and love, not rules and punishment. This Mother is all about relationship, not performance. This mother maintains the tenderness and openness of a love relationship with us above all else. This Mother is all about love, for love is what makes her children truly bloom and flourish! Our Mother Christ is the most nurturing, tender, supportive, responsive, caring and gentle mother of all!

"But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever."

2 Peter 3:18 (KJV)

"It is good for the heart to be established and strengthened by grace."

Hebrew 13:9 (AMP)

A Prayer: Your grace - Your acceptance, kindness, goodness, support, and unconditional love nourish me!

Eternal Nourishing That Eternally Satisfies

"The Mother may lay the child tenderly to her breast, but our tender Mother, Jesus, He may homely lead us into His blessed breast, by His sweet open side, and shew therein part of the Godhead and the joys of Heaven, with spiritual sureness of endless bliss."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 60)

A mother lays her baby next to her and nurses her child, so that the baby gets life-giving milk and sustenance and is completely satisfied until its next feeding. But Christ gives us spiritual sustenance, His own life, so that we are satisfied to such a full extent that we hunger and thirst no more. He completely fills and satisfies. He provides all we need for life here and for all eternity. He nourishes and invigorates us with the God-life, life that knows no boundaries or limits, life with no end, life that is indefeatable and indestructible, life that always overcomes, always has abundance, always loves and gives, always is triumphant over every evil, fear or challenge. 

And while a mother lets her baby nurse very close to her but still externally to her, Christ brings all humanity into His own self, being one with our humanity and joining with us forever. We are so close we are IN. So we have continual nourishing and life, continual joys and blessings, continual communion and  presence. All that Christ is is given to us in this oneness, and we partake of His own nature, His own being, His own righteousness, His own relationship with the Father, His own heavenly life. Christ gives us the best nourishment, for He gives us Himself in oneness with us, with our humanity. We can relax and rest, not needing to strive, because we know that all we  need is already given to us in Him, and so we rest in completeness and union. Within Him we find continual communion with the Godhead, all the joys of heaven, and the assurance of endless bliss with Him!

"For in Him the whole fullness of Deity (the Godhead) continues to dwell in bodily form [giving complete expression of the divine nature]. And you are in Him, made full and having come to fullness of life [in Christ you too are filled with the Godhead—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—and reach full spiritual stature]."

Colossians 2:10 (AMPC)

"Let the agape-love of God romance you into his rest where you cease from striving and bask in completeness."

2 Timothy 2:22 (MIRROR)

"They will neither hunger nor thirst."

Isaiah 49:10 (NLT)

 

Christ Feeds Us

"He would not stint (cease) of working: wherefore then it behoveth (befits) Him to feed us; for the dearworthy love of Motherhood hath made Him debtor to us. The mother may give her child suck of her milk, but our precious Mother, Jesus, He may feed us with Himself, and doeth it, full courteously and full tenderly.."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 60)

We think sometimes that we owe God our service, yet Julian says that Christ owes us a debt of love and service. For a mother ought to take care of her child, meeting her child's every need, and a mother owes her child her attention and love and care. So Christ our Mother takes care of all of us and gives full attention, love and care to us, meeting our every need. We don't have to do anything to 'get' this kind service; it is simply what a mother ought to do and what a mother loves to do. So Christ loves taking care of us and does so without ceasing. We are always being taken care of by Christ our Mother. For Christ gives everything to us, pouring out in love for us. Earthly mothers give their babies their life-giving milk, but we get to partake of Christ's own life. We are fed and nourished by Christ. For Christ is our true food, full of love and acceptance, strength and grace, that sustains us and makes us thrive in heavenly life. We naturally want the pure milk of our Mother Christ, the love and kindness and life that tastes so wonderful to us and makes us grow. And Christ loves nourishing and feeding us. 

Christ brings us to rest from being nourished by heavenly life and love, like an infant falling asleep while nursing in the mother's arms. In fact, one of the most beautiful pictures of security, satisfaction and rest that we have is of a little baby nestled in its mother's arms, sleeping peacefully after drinking in mother's milk till its tummy is full. The baby is totally satiated and satisfied, is completely at rest and comfortable, is absolutely secure and peaceful in its mother's arms. And with Christ, that is where we are today. He satisfies us, makes us feel safe and comfortable, snuggles us close and brings us to such rest that we can sleep peacefully, knowing all is well!

"Like infants at the breast, drink deep of God’s pure kindness."

1 Peter 2:2 (MSG)

"The one who feeds on me will live because of me."

John 6:57 (NIV) 

A Prayer: Thank You for pouring out Your life to take care of me and nourish me. You are life to me and nothing and noone satisfies me like You!

He Thinks We Are Worth It

"He sustaineth us within Himself in love; and travailed, unto the full time that He would suffer the sharpest throes and the most grievous pains that ever were or ever shall be; and died at the last. And when He had finished, and so borne us to bliss, yet might not all this make full content to His marvellous love; and that sheweth He in these high overpassing words of love: If I might suffer more, I would suffer more."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 60)

If Christ gave birth to us through the resurrection, then the suffering of Christ on the cross can be seen as birth pangs as Christ labored to bring us forth into new life. When humanity fell into delusion and sin, God did not abandon these beloved created children. Instead, Christ kept us and sustained us within a womb of love, continually carrying humanity within until the time came for humanity's new birth. No matter how much pain a mother goes through to bring her child into the world, she forgets that pain when she sees her newborn child, and she says that all that pain was worth it, that she would have gone through even more pain just to have her precious child with her, alive and well. And in the same way Christ our Mother says that all the pain was worth it to bring us into new birth, alive and well. Christ was willing to do whatever was necessary, was willing to endure whatever suffering was needed, to bring us into the freedom, joy and fullness of resurrection life. Christ willingly endured all the suffering of the cross even to the point of death, looking forward to the joy that would come from it. And that joy is humanity, you and I! One look at us, the cherished and precious newborns cradled in those loving and everlasting arms, and Christ declares, "It was worth it! You are worth it, my dear darlings!" 

"A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world."

John 16:21 (NIV)

"Because his heart was focused on the joy of knowing that you would be his, he endured the agony of the cross and conquered its humiliation.."

Hebrews 12:2 (TPT)

A Prayer: Knowing You are joyful over me -  like a mother is joyful over her newborn - makes me know I am wanted, I am loved, and I am Your very own child!

Endless Life

"We know that all our mothers' bearing is [bearing of] us to pain and to dying: and what is this but that our Very Mother, Jesus, He—All-Love—beareth us to joy and to endless living?—blessed may He be!"

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 60)

Though our earthly mothers bear or birth us into a world of pain and sorrow and death, our dear Mother Christ bears or births us into a whole new world of endless life and joy. We are born anew through Christ's resurrection, brought into the realm of Christ's resurrection life, the life of the heavenly realms. We are raised up with Christ to the heavens and are hid and oned with His resurrected and reigning life. This life has already prevailed over every pain, sickness, sorrow and death of the earthly life. This life, Christ's own resurrection life, never has any bitterness, fear, anxiety or lack in it. Born from above in Christ, we are a new creation, newborns in a whole new world, and we are pure, perfect, sinless, beautiful and sweet. We are in eternal life, God's own life, and we can never go out of it, for how could we ever go backwards and be unborn? Birth is permanent! We are forever in life, in Christ's life, in resurrection life! It is the most beautiful, fulfilling, happy, peaceful life we could imagine. And it is a life of love, full of the tenderness and warmth of Christ, a life of being permanently embraced by the One who loves us most, safe from any harm alive forevermore, enjoying the love of the Trinity family continually!

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."

1 Peter 1:3 (NIV)

Thank You for bringing me into Your endless life through Your resurrection!

Our Humble Mother

"Our high God is sovereign Wisdom of all: in this low place He arrayed and dight (prepared) Him full ready in our poor flesh, Himself to do the service and the office of Motherhood in all things....This office none might, nor could, nor ever should do to the full, but He alone."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 60)

Our God who is high, exalted, mighty and over all chose to take the low place of humble human flesh to be our true Mother and give us new birth. This wonderful God was willing to take on this role of Mother to us, to do all that a mother is to do, becoming the humble caretaker of humanity. And noone could do it better. Noone could be a better Mother to us, noone could do the work of Motherhood more fully than our God made flesh! God does not consider the office of mothering humanity as "low" job, though, but instead as a high and infinitely important one. In fact it is God's great delight and honor to be our Mother, to love and hold us, and to do everything for our care. 

Our Mother God births us into new life and takes care of us in our newborn state, watching over us and meeting our needs around the clock, thinking only of us. Our Mother God meets all our needs right down to the most basic and lowly, giving all the time and effort and energy possible to help us thrive. And our Mother God loves us infinitely and would do anything for us, always protecting us, cradling us, singing over us, soothing us, calming us and tenderly caressing us.  It is lovely to see our God as a Mother. Earthly mothers naturally care for their child and love the child tenderly, not forgetting the child. Yet God is an infinitely more compassionate, caring, nurturing and attentive Mother than any earthly mother. We could not ask for a better Mother than God!

"But how could a loving mother forget her nursing child and not deeply love the one she bore? Even if there is a mother who forgets her child, I could never, no never, forget you."

Isaiah 49:15

A Prayer: You are the best Mother to me and I know You will care for my every need.