Last Father’s Day, the pastor at my church talked about how our perception of God depended heavily upon our relationship with our earthly father. (Disclaimer: I wasn’t at church then, I can’t remember why, but my wife relayed the central themes).
It’s an interesting idea. What is our perception of God? Do we think of Him as some angry deity ready to smite us whenever we mess up? Or do we think of God as absent? Someone who cares not for the petty details of our life and leaves us to our own devices.
I think many of us Christians know in our head what God is like. A loving God slow to anger, forgiving yet just, and all that stuff. But I think sometimes in our hearts we picture Him much differently. Related to that picture is a desire that He be more this or that.
So what is our perception of God? It may illuminate our relationship with our father. Look at the relationship with our father, it may illuminate our perception of God.
I’ve got a big responsibility to ensure that my son will have a balanced and accurate view of God, not just in his head but in his heart.
