Even Through Fire and Water
As climate change intensifies, devastating wildfires and weather-related disasters such as typhoons and floods are occurring with increasing frequency throughout the world.
The destructive force of fire and flood is immense, sweeping across everything in their path and engulfing entire areas in an instant. It is no wonder that they are described as “fire demons” and “water demons.” Even human beings, who regard themselves as the highest of all creatures, are powerless before the forces of nature. How much more helpless must animals be? Their instinct is to flee desperately from danger and seek a way to survive.
Yet even in the midst of such danger, some creatures defy their instincts. A mother bird remains in her nest, brooding over her eggs even as torrential rain pours down, and shields her young beneath her body even amid raging flames. It is said that when the body of a female pheasant killed in a wildfire was lifted, her chicks were found alive beneath her. Several years ago, a video deeply moved people around the world. When a livestock barn caught fire, a mother cow lay down and used her entire body to shield her calf from the flames. She endured the agony of being burned in order to save her young.
Paternal and maternal love—love that defies and transcends instinct—form the foundation upon which life has been preserved on earth. All things created by God reflect His divine nature (Ro 1:20). God’s boundless love for humanity is not limited to a father’s love. God the Father, who silently bore all the sins of His children in their place, is the source of paternal love. God the Mother, who embraces and protects Her children as a hen gathers her chicks beneath her wings, is the source of maternal love.
God has promised to be with us “even through fire and water” (Isa 43:1–3). God the Father did not hesitate to endure the agony of having His flesh torn and shedding His blood in order to rescue His children from the fires of hell. God the Mother gathers us into Her loving embrace and protects us to the very end through every disaster. Because Father and Mother are with us, God’s children enjoy peace as they journey toward the kingdom of heaven, their eternal resting place.
