If
you are anywhere near my age (1976 high school graduation) and are a female,
you may now be at a point where the aftertaste of radical feminism has started
to disappear. You’ve also successfully waded through a culture that embraced new-age
thinking and have now arrived at real truths.
Unfortunately,
the result of the particular journey that many of us have been on is that we,
in direct opposition to the false messages of radical feminism and the new age
movement have really lost out on something that I have only recently discovered:
God as Mother.
Sophia.
Years
ago I wrote my first fiction book titled Elizabeth:A Holy Land Pilgrimage. In the book, Elizabeth’s daughter is named Sophia.
At the time I knew no one with that name and it had no special meaning to me. I
just knew that Sophia was supposed to be the name of the daughter in the book.
The second fiction book I wrote is titled Miriam:Repentance and Redemption in Rome. Sophia, as Elizabeth’s daughter, is also
part of the Miriam book. Again, clueless about the import of Sophia.
After
I finished Miriam, I knew—instinctively—that
the third and final book was going to be Sophia.
Plain and simple. In fact, the story of Sophia has already made itself known to
me. From beginning to end it has already taken place in my heart and in my
head. Yet at that point the significance
of Sophia was still unknown to me.
All
that has since changed.
Sophia
has now brought me front and center to the concept of Sophia as Wisdom. Sophia
as a Mother, a Spirit, a Companion. A door opened, a word was spoken, and in an
instant Sophia was revealed to me. A curtain was pulled back and I was invited
to step inside.
Since
that moment, I’ve discovered much about Sophia and Her works with God; Her
desires to be found, to be welcomed. The more I learn about Sophia and welcome
Her into my heart and into the book that is Hers, the more I see that the
damages of radical feminism have made us push Her away lest we think we are
entering some radical feminist frame of reference for God. Indeed, seeing Her
in all Her glory may even feel a bit new-agey to us, so we’ve walked away.
Using words such as “Goddess” makes us run; but Sophia isn’t “Goddess” as we
would imagine some dark magic use of the word. Nor does Sophia invite us to an
alternate spiritual world of new-age.
No,
Sophia has been there all along in right relationship with the Father. Solomon
sought Her and was handsomely rewarded for doing so; Christian mystic Hildegard
of Bingen sang Her praises.
Unfortunately,
it seems that in our day and age we no longer have the language with which to
describe Her; thus we don’t seek Her or know Her. But there She is, throughout
Scripture (Wisdom, Proverbs, Exodus, Corinthians, Romans). She seems to have
been well-hidden and then further buried as a result of the fears we have to
keep all things bad and “feminist” or “new age” at arm’s length.
And
yet She is within each of us; She willingly accompanies us on our journeys.
Sophia
is the wisdom of motherhood and sisterhood and womanhood; and while She may seem
elusive—She is patiently waiting to be found.
She
is the treasure for our age. A safe-haven for those who call out to Her and
seek Her guidance. She is the Holy Wisdom that reveals to us the connections
between Heaven and Earth; She is order in a chaotic world and light in
darkness.
I
am excited to write about Her; honored that She beckoned to me.
I
invite you to know Her as well; accept the gifts of Holy Wisdom, of Sophia.
(picture copyright Paul-andré Belle-isle Dreamstime.com)
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