It was a starlit night, and I was snuggled into a deep dream when POUND, POUND, POUND!
Rotating blades chopped the air directly above me as a police helicopter swooped down to shine a spotlight through my skylight.
I sat up blinded, my heart pounding. The only coherent thought I could manage was, “Quick, get under the bed! They’ve discovered there’s a Christian in Hollywood!”
The cobwebs began to clear, and my feet hit the concrete floor of my tiny bungalow, and I ran outside. Across the yard, the doors of the old mansion swung open, and a bevy of teenaged Hollywood interns, as well as our landlord, ran to join me in the night. We watched as the police chopper rose to continue searching for the perpetrator of a nearby hideous crime. Oh my goodness. What a Hollywood welcome!
Some months earlier, I’d decided to take a screenwriting course offered by the Act One Community at Hollywood Presbyterian. I knew I would be an odd duck.
My faith set me apart from my rich and famous neighbors in the Hollywood Hills, where I rented a converted potting shed bedroom. But the other obstacle I faced was that I was old enough to be everyone’s mother.
Before I left Colorado in my red Subaru, I’d taken all my concerns to the Lord. “The people of Hollywood aren’t going to like me,” I complained. “I’m an, ahem, ‘mature’ woman who loves Jesus. What will I have in common with the people outside the Act One community?”
The answer filled my heart; Momma, love! I instantly knew what this meant. The Lord wanted me to spread Momma’s love to all the young people who crossed my path. I would treat them as though I was their loving Mom.
What a secret weapon! Powered with Momma’s love, I saw the young people back at the mansion becoming my dear friends. Every Sunday, I filled my Subaru with my housemates and drove them to church.
The greeters at the church thought I was my tribe’s Mom, and that became their nickname for me. “Hi Mom!” they called as my intern friends, and I filed inside. One of the young interns came back to Jesus that summer.
I bribed another young man with free lunch so we could talk about where he was with the Lord. Even the landlord, who struggled with faith, ventured a trip to church with us.
The aspiring young actors who waited on me in the restaurants were always glad to see me. I kidded with them and loved them, knowing how much they missed their moms. One young waitress, when she realized it was time for me to head back to Colorado, knelt next to my table. “You are so needed here,” she told me. Even my landlord said, “You are a breath of fresh air. Hollywood needs you.”
You know, what Hollywood needs — what your community needs — is for women of faith to treat their family, coworkers, and neighbors with love: sweet, unconditional Momma love, straight from the heart of God!
This kind of Momma love is missing from our society. We have a generation who has missed out on the love of a healthy family.
But we have the power to bring Momma’s love back to our family, church, and communities in the way we treat others.
Using a momma’s love is a powerful strategy we can use to win people to Jesus. If we can’t love our neighbors as ourselves, they won’t care to hear about the love of Jesus because they’ve never seen us demonstrate it.
The best way to demonstrate love is first to allow God’s love to pour into us. When we can open our hearts and minds to the fact that God loves us, we can be forgiven through the work of Jesus on the cross, that we can turn from our sins and trust our very lives to God, then we can manifest a perfect love to share with others. This kind of love sources from a never-ending supply as we continually bask in God’s love for us.
When others know we love them, that’s when we can share the source of our love and tell them the Good News: that Jesus died on the cross for their sins and that they can trust in Him and experience the ultimate love of God.
Even though my Subaru and I are back in Colorado, I still practice Momma love whenever I get the opportunity. And even if you’ve never been a mom, you’re still equipped to love with the love of Jesus.
The world is desperate for God’s love. But it starts with us. Will you join the Momma-Love movement?
