Exploring the nature of God – male and female

​‘So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.’ Genesis 1.27
 
When Jesus revealed that he used the intimate word 'Abba' to speak to God, he was inviting us to throw away all notions of a strict disciplinarian father figure that we may have grown up with, and instead discover a new tenderness in our relationship with Father God.  However, on occasions the Bible invites us to ponder even more about the nature of God, and for the next few days we are going to explore some of the qualities of God that might be thought of as 'mother qualities'.
 
I am certainly not suggesting that we change our prayers to 'Mother God', but it is interesting that throughout the Bible there are some ‘windows’ to God that reveal aspects of his character that are not usually associated with the word 'Father' as we understand it.
 
In the very first chapter of the Bible we read about God creating humankind in his image, man and woman.  The implication is that his image cannot be contained within one gender. 
 
Think of some feminine characteristics and consider their impact on you.  What does this suggest about the nature of God and what might he be trying to reveal to you about himself?