One of the things that spiritual directors are taught to look out for in conversation with others relates to our image of God. We may all say that we believe God to be loving and gracious, but often the way we speak about God suggests that what we actually believe is quite different. Many of us are pretty sure that we don't quite meet God's expectations - in our heart of hearts we believe that God is disappointed with us.
When we see God in this way we may be guilty of remaking God in the image of people - allowing our picture of God to be determined by our experiences of people. Needless to say, a distorted image of God has profound implications for how we relate to God. The good news is that our picture of God can be redrawn.
The baptism of Jesus gives us a better picture of what God is like. Here is God declaring his love for Jesus and saying how proud God is of his Son BEFORE Jesus has begun his public ministry. Jesus is loved, cherished, celebrated before he has done anything worthy of public praise. Can you imagine God speaking those same words of affirmation over you? Give it a try - it's the truth!
When we see God in this way we may be guilty of remaking God in the image of people - allowing our picture of God to be determined by our experiences of people. Needless to say, a distorted image of God has profound implications for how we relate to God. The good news is that our picture of God can be redrawn.
The baptism of Jesus gives us a better picture of what God is like. Here is God declaring his love for Jesus and saying how proud God is of his Son BEFORE Jesus has begun his public ministry. Jesus is loved, cherished, celebrated before he has done anything worthy of public praise. Can you imagine God speaking those same words of affirmation over you? Give it a try - it's the truth!