By Karli Smith
Toward the end of my pregnancy, I found myself drawn to images of women of divine femininity - artworks of powerful women bringing forth life from within, co-creating with the Creator. I had had 9 months to contemplate this new life that was forming within me, but as the birth became inevitably closer and 'real', I became fascinated by the ancientness of this experience and the primal-ness that I would embrace upon birthing this life. The responsibility felt heavy but I was reassured by the knowledge that millions of women had gone before me, and that the Love of God was so completely interwoven in it all.
““For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” - Psalm 139:13-16.”
There have been many times in life where I've felt the intimate closeness of God - as close as a breath, a song, kind words, a comforting touch. I've known within my heart and mind from a young age that God is Love, but nothing prepared me for the fierceness of that Love that I would experience through childbirth and the first minutes after. Our wonderful midwife sensed that my partner was interested in being more involved in the birth, and invited him to 'catch' our daughter as I pushed her out, showing him where to place his hands and supporting him as he lifted her up onto my chest. I immediately burst into floods of tears of overwhelming joy and love as this slimy little creature was placed into my arms. Never before had I felt such instant, uncontrollable, fierce love for another person - to protect, to comfort, to nourish, to cherish. I finally began to more fully understand the love my own mother has for my brothers and myself.
That moment gave me a glimpse into the fierceness with which our God must love God's creation. The desire to nourish, nurture and comfort us, to provide for and sustain us and the Earth we call home. But also the invitation to be part of creating a future with God, to care for the Earth, to bring Love into each other's lives, to pay attention to the sacredness and ancientness present in everyday acts. There is great power to be drawn from those who have been before us, and also the God that goes before us.
The invitation to create with God is real. The invitation to acknowledge and experience how enveloped we are in God's love is real. The invitation to sustain one another and the whole of creation with loving kindness is urgent. We have been knit together in the sacred womb of creation. We are loved and here to love.