Her Only Concern
A mother was taking her son to kindergarten. She had stepped out of the car first, and just as her son set foot on the road, the ground suddenly gave way. The boy and the car plunged into a massive sinkhole. Though momentarily thrown off balance, the mother leaped into the hole without a second’s hesitation. She gave no thought to whether the ground might collapse further or whether the large truck teetering precariously at the edge might fall on them. This harrowing scene was captured on CCTV and reported by international media.
A mother begins putting her child before herself even before the child is born. According to Donald Winnicott, an English pediatrician and psychoanalyst, a mother enters a state of “primary maternal preoccupation” shortly before giving birth and remains in that state for several weeks afterward. During this time, she sets aside her own sense of self and focuses entirely on her baby.
A newborn is incapable of meeting even the most basic needs, such as hunger, thirst, and sleep. Nor can the baby protect itself from the many dangers in its surroundings. All the baby can do is cry, regardless of the time or place. Yet the mother sensitively recognizes the baby’s signals and provides exactly what is needed. In the truest sense of the word, she becomes completely absorbed in her child. She constantly checks whether the baby is breathing properly, whether it is hungry, and whether anything in the surrounding environment might pose a danger. All the while, she may be unable to meet even her own most basic needs. This continues until the child’s physical and cognitive abilities develop to a certain degree. Through the mother’s attentive care, the child maintains a continuous sense of being alive and gradually develops a sense of self.
The devotion of earthly mothers to their children is a shadow that reveals the principles of the invisible heavenly world (Heb 8:5). The Bible testifies to the existence of Heavenly Mother, the Creator of our souls, from the account of creation itself (Ge 1:26–27). Heavenly Mother says, “You are everything in my life and my only concern.” She continually watches over and cares for us, checking whether our souls are breathing properly and whether we are receiving the spiritual food we need. Setting aside Her own well-being, She directs all Her attention toward Her heavenly children. Even when our sins become thorns that pierce Her with pain, Mother never hesitates to draw near to us. Through the prayers She offers while silently embracing us and patiently enduring all things, we—still incomplete—are gradually perfected into the heavenly image.
We can begin to understand, even faintly, the depth of that love and the pain hidden behind it only when we try to practice such love ourselves. Those who have valued another person more than themselves, devoted their full attention to that person, prayed for them each day, given without expecting anything in return, and endured patiently despite the wounds they sometimes received understand why a mother’s love is said to be on a higher level.
