The Power of a Mother's Kiss
Floating around Facebook (and other socials) is beautiful expression of the impacts of physical, parental affirmation through the mechanism of the simple kiss. Though it is less a scientific treastise than a poetic metaphor, it does indeed capture the essence of legitimate scientific research. It goes like this:
When a mother kisses her son, it’s not just a tender gesture — it’s biology weaving an invisible bond.
In that simple moment — lips to skin — a cascade of extraordinary things unfolds deep within the brain:
Neuroimaging reveals the hidden symphony:
— The nucleus accumbens and dopamine pathways light up, wiring joy and reinforcing the primal connection.
— The amygdala and hypothalamus, architects of emotion, ignite to nurture safety and belonging.
— Oxytocin, the famed “love hormone,” floods both bodies, lowering stress, sealing trust, deepening attachment.For the child, that kiss does more than soothe:
It quiets the stress circuits — regulating cortisol, calming fears, nurturing emotional resilience.
A mother's kiss isn’t ordinary. It’s ancient biology — a whispered promise of protection, of unconditional presence.
In that fleeting second, a shelter is built in the brain… and the roots of lifelong security begin to grow.
Love leaves traces science can finally see — but a child feels them long before they understand.
For a couple of links for some scientific coroberration, click here and here.
The Lord often compares his love to the love of an earthly parent for their child.
"As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you ...” (Isaiah 66:13, NIV).
“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!” (Isaiah 49:15, NIV).
"As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him" (Psalm 103:13, NIV).
“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?... how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" (Matthew 7:9, 11, NIV).
Indeed, God's love isn't abstract—it’s embodied in the most intimate human relationships we know.
Mothers (and fathers!), you have been granted a divine ability to be a physical conduit of the all encompassing, eternal, empowering, comforting love God in the lives of your children. It is their birthright to know and understand and feel the connection they can have with the Father by experiencing it first through you.
Love them deeply. Kiss them often.
And in those moments communicate to them not just "your" love and affection, but explain that it is but a picture, a conduit of the love their great Father in heaven has for them!
Better Flesh?
I am not a strong as Dwayne Johnson, the rock.
I am not as rich as Bill Gates, who is currently worth over $79 billion.
I am not as smart as Terrance Tau, who has an IQ of 230 and earned a doctorate by age 20.
I am not, nor will I ever be, as tall, dark, and handsome as Tom Selleck.
But so what! Jesus said, "the flesh profits nothing." (John 6:63)
"Nothing" means nothing, regardless of the advantage we might enjoy over others. When we boast of our
superiority in the flesh, we are still just boasting in the flesh!
The world is very concerned with the four B's: Braun, Bucks, Brains, and Beauty.
But only God, the one who conceived of us before the foundation of the world, has the right to give us our value.
"There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28, NRSV)
Neither our nationality or our social status or even our gender determines our value. It is our bond in Christ that gains us true value.
I Know My Rights
With the rise of the American cop dramas in the 1990s came an interesting trickle down (or should we say trickle "over" effect) on foreign cultures across the Pond. "American TV crime dramas such as "Law & Order" and NYPD Blue" are taking a toll in France," reports Gail Russell Chaddock in THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR:
According to pollsters, the French began thinking that a judge in a courtroom should be addressed as "Your Honor"--rather than the traditionally acceptable "Mr. President." And many routinely began demanding to see a warrant when police wanted to search their homes--something that isn't always required in that country. * "It's a cultural catastrophe! French citizens don't even understand their own legal system anymore," said a top official.
*"In France the police have extensive powers of search and seizure in the case of flagrant offense and when a crime is being committed or has just been committed …" (per Britannica.com).
To live as a Christian is to live with a clash of cultures between our earthly and our heavenly citizenships. If we're not careful, we can easily be confused about which laws apply to us, about which set of rights we should claim.
Do you ever lose track of your rights as a citizen of God's Kingdom?
"Dear friends, I warn you as "temporary residents and foreigners" to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls" (1 Peter 2:11).