Friday, May 16, 2008

Heavenly Parent

The Transformation Journal devotion for today is about baptism. It reflects on the idea that in our baptism we are adopted as God's children. And the first thing I began to wonder was, how does our relationship with God change when we see God as a parent? This change in perception of God often comes from seeing God as a distant being who is usually out to punish us for our bad behavior, at least that was my perception.
Then God became my father. He became that person I would look up to, the person I went to for advice, and that person who was always there for me. It was amazing how this spiritual person, although invisible to the eye, became more present then the other people in my life. I had felt disappointed and even abandoned by other people, but God was different. God was there through the good and the bad.
I do see God as other persons, like savior of the world, savior of me, healer, forgiver, friend... but most of all God is my parent. That is the image of God that is closest to my heart and where I find myself getting closest to God.

3 comments:

Helen said...

If we see God as parent, then that would explain why sometimes we ignore and/or don't appreciate God always being there for us.

Anonymous said...

Very insightful, Helen! And I think that's very true. I know for myself, when I went through that rebellious stage where no one was going to tell me anything..(actually,I might still be in that stage) there was no way I was going to "fall into that trap" of going to church every week. I was no "sheep"! I was going to change the world! In those days that big brick building would sit there as I would drive by on my way to a party and even though I could see it out of the corner of my eye, I ignored it and all it stood for. Years later, when I came back to my senses, it was still there waiting for me. Just like my parents were. Just like my REAL friends were and just like God was. It's that unconditional love that pulls us along in life. No matter what. Jeanie

Helen said...

Thanks for sharing Jeanie. I am so glad you were pulled back, because this church would not be the same without your faithfulness.
As far as rebelling against God, I believe that makes our relationship with God closer.
After we make our own choice to follow God, we realize that God was there all along waiting on us to use our free will and accept His love.