In Galatians chapter 4, and in other letters the Apostle Paul uses surprisingly feminine language to express his deepest feelings for those he loves in the church. Where does the motherly heart of Paul come from? The Apostle is hardly one we would expect to speak of his “pains of childbirth”, and “nursing children”. But this is a man transformed by the Spirit of God, expressing the deepest and most tender emotions of his heart. In our hyper-masculine culture of big beards and bigger muscles, we can learn a lot from looking into the motherly heart of God, and the patient love He has for children like us, who turn from Him.

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