“A child ceases to fear the things of the world when he is in the lap of his mother, and he knows that his mother will always come running to his aid whenever he is in trouble. However his mother may on occasion scold him or give him bitter medicine–which is for his own betterment. This defines the relationship of man with God. When troubles and sufferings come, they are meant to cleanse and purify the soul. They are like bitter medicine that rids the soul of disease.
“The mother gives her child toys to play with, and is happy when she sees him enjoying himself. But if the child immerses himself in the toys and forgets the mother altogether, he will find himself beset upon by fears and worries. Hunger will force him to think of his mother, and, when the toys break, there will be no one to replace them. The child will then cry for his mother, and the mother will come running to help him.
“The mother knows that the toys are essential for the child, but she knows, too, that she must feed him and sustain his existence. Therefore, at times she must take away the toys of the child, only to give him her milk and love. Once she has fed the child, she places the toys before him again. This is the relationship of man with God. God is the mother, and man the child, and the toys are the things of the material world.
“If God takes away your world, He gives you Himself.
“God is like a benign mother who has no hatred or rancour for her child no matter how naughty or troublesome the child might be.”