Three Questions for . . . Amena Brown

Popular speaker Amena Brown shares the love and compassion of Christ to audiences all over the United States through her gifts as a spoken-word poet. Kyria wanted to know how her message has been shaped by her understanding of God and what it means to be a woman made in God's image.

What does "God as nurturer" mean to you?

It reminds me that God is a safe place—a place where I'm held. In God's presence, I can be myself and rest.

Have you always viewed God that way?

Growing up in a single-parent home, my view of God came from my mom, who's my cheerleader. I'm critical of myself. I think of all the things I can do better, do more of, or do less of. But my mom always encourages me. And that's what God does. He says, You're okay. I love you. You don't have to fix yourself in order for me to love you.

How has understanding that character aspect of God affected how you view yourself?

I'm learning that God wants me to be myself—how he made me. If that means I watch a commercial and feel teary, I shouldn't beat myself up for that. Why would God want me not to be who he made me to be? I'm getting to know God and how God looks on us with so much love, yet remains Truth and King. He's not a human, but looks on us humans with so much love. That love helps me see myself and, in turn, accept myself.

Read more articles that highlight writing by Christian women at ChristianityToday.com/Women