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Who is God for you?
What is God like for you? How do you image God and do you experience God? I’ve been thinking about these questions since yesterday when I was on a panel with other young religious speaking to new vocation directors. A sister asked us to describe who God is and has been for us through our discernment and journey into religious life.
I responded with how I have come to know God as a God who is here with and among us. A God who is not “way up there”, remote from us, but in the think of things, present to us in even our darkest moments. A God who speaks all languages including (more often than not!) language that is not overtly religious. Jesus not only personified this; Jesus incarnated this. Remember how he taught … “Learn a lesson from the way the wildflowers grow. They don’t work; they don’t spin. yet I tell you, not even Solomon (a biblical king) in full splendor was arrayed like one of these.” (Matthew 6:28-29)
Then this morning I read today’s reading from the prophet Micah …
“What god can compare to you?
You take away guilt,
you forgive the sins of the remnant of your people.
You don’t let your anger rage forever,
for you delight in mercy and steadfast love.” (Micah 7:18)
Who is God for you? How do you experience God in your every day life?
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Wow! Who is God and how do I experience him? Can you ever just ask ‘what’s for dinner tonight?’ Here goes! Growing up, I thought that God was the Almighty, the Omnipotent, etc. and that He was only there to rule and impose law. Now, after several intimate moments getting to know God and learning to love Him and letting Him love me, I have realized that God is everything. He is love and peace and a shoulder when I need it. He carries me when I am weak and when I’m lost, he waits for me to find my way back to Him. He gently whispers in my heart His undying love. I once saw Him as infallible and in anger I left. I now realize that He is just as vulnerable as anyone who loves. To love is to open oneself up to pain. Will this person leave me? Will this person hurt me? Will this person deny me? These are all thoughts that God has, only He knows the answers and yet He still chooses to love. God is my hero!
i have been in a very dry place spiritually for some time. when my two dogs recently died within a month of each other, i stopped talking to god at all. i started again very recently, maybe a month ago, but only a sentence at a time. all of this is to say, i know god is present, right beside me. i have always known. i used to tell my students, “i believe in god, i’m just not sure he likes me very much.” it’s still true, no matter how i try to trust god is good. but i do believe god is faithful. i believe god is always going to be there, so that, even in my one-sentence utterances every so often, god hears me. i have experienced god’s great love numerous times, just never in the last 5-6 years. but i persist because i experience god as faithful. does this make any sense? god may not like me, but he isn’t going anywhere. there is much to be said for this.
Jeannie, It’s interesting how in our lives, our image of God changes. At one point I used to think that’s because we were creating our own god, but now I’ve come to see that it’s really God speaking to us in a new way, a way that we can “get”.
Marla, I hear you when you say “i persist because i experience god as faithful” … it reminds me of God as the “hound of heaven” … less in relation to the poem and more in terms of just that image of God always being there for us, always waiting and always pursuing when given the chance!
Lisa and Marla, prayers for both of you and for all who are dealing with the loss of your dear dogs.
Hi there. Great website.
To your Commenter, Marla:
Hi Marla–I am sorry for your loss of your doggies. Just two weeksago, I too,lost a beloved animal companion–my Golden Retriever, “Louie”. Please know that you are in my thoughts and prayers.
Peace & Blessings to you.
You may read more about how I am processing Louie’s passing; perhaps it could help you:
http://www.lisananetteallender.blogspot.com
Godde is everywhere really. Around me, in others, in me. In the Eucharist. In the wind, the sky, the clouds. S/He is a loving Presence, for ever awaiting that I turn to Her, deep within my being, closer to me than my heart is.
Thank you for asking.
He isn’t just on the cross for me anymore, He’s in my heart. I’ve always kind of felt that He is a warm and loving presence, always looking forward and hoping I’ll do the same. I guess in my heart,he feels like a Grandfather figure in a way. It’s easy to say that I am a Christian, but seeing God in everything is a new goal.
@ lisa–i’m so sorry about your baby dog. i miss mine more than words can say. sleeper died in february at 13; he couldn’t walk and i had to put him down. i can’t seem to forgive myself for that. oreo, who died three weeks later, was 13, too, but being a small dog, should have lived much longer. my cleaning lady fed her three day old chinese food from her car and i had no idea. the vet thought she had pacreatitis and would be fine, but she died the next day. blood tests showed it was botulism. they were my family and i grieve them horribly. keep blogging about your baby. any processing is good processing.
@sister julie–i love the image of the hound of heaven. it is good to know god pursues us.