How Do You See God?

I’ve recently had conversations with several different people that got me thinking about a Sunday school lesson I taught years ago. The topic was the various ways in which people view God. It’s an important question, for how we see God can have a great impact on how we live our daily lives.

Non-believers, of course, generally see God as just another fictional character on par with Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny, so they give Him little thought as they go through their days. We’ll leave them out of this particular discussion. Of much more concern is the way Christians think about the Almighty.

Let’s consider a few of those.

Some people see God as a huge, cosmic vending machine. They think they can buy or barter for God’s favor. Like in the movies when someone promises God, if He will only do whatever they need at the moment, they’ll promise to go to church every Sunday for the rest of their lives. They put in their coins, select their prize, and wait for God to deliver. And if the results don’t satisfy, they pitch a fit, bang on the machine with their fists, and cry about the unfairness of it all. These people tend to run to God when they need something, and ignore Him the rest of the time.

Others see God as some distant creative genius who invented everything we see around us, but then got bored and abandoned us while He went on to his next project. (Makes me think of the old Bette Midler song that proclaims God is watching us – from a distance. Beautiful, but not theologically accurate.) People like this tend to give little or no thought to this negligent God. They acknowledge His existence, but think that He doesn’t care about them, so why should they care about Him.

A lot of people see God as some stern, old, white-haired judge with gavel in hand just waiting to pronounce us guilty and lay down the maximum sentence for our crimes. This is the God the Liberals love to talk about. According to them (and their twisted world view), He hates everybody, especially the LBGTQ folks, and He can hardly wait to punish us for our sins. These are the people who fear God and blame Him for every trial that comes their way. Why hold yourself accountable, when you can blame God, the mean, old man upstairs?

Then there are the ones who think of God as the teacher or principal who just wants us to sit still, listen and learn, and turn in our homework on time. Or maybe the old school assistant principal walking the halls with a wooden paddle sticking out from his back pocket looking for the latest rule breaker in need of correction. While we’re on the school theme, how about the coach striding up and down the sidelines alternately screaming encouragement and instructions, and occasionally throwing a clipboard or water bottle in anger and frustration. Again, these people see God as controlling our lives and handing out failing grades as He judges our actions.

I believe there are much better ways to think of God. Maybe you see God as a friend or a brother, a constant companion who will always be there to support and defend you against all others. Or perhaps, you see Him as the Holy Spirit living within us, providing everything we need to make it through each day.

And of course, as Christians, we are frequently reminded to see God as our father. That of course, opens up a whole separate can of worms. Those who have grown up with absent or abusive earthly fathers often find it difficult to relate to God as father, at least in a positive way, but most find comfort in viewing God as a loving father who genuinely cares for his children.

Sadly, when bad things happen, regardless of our view, we have a tendency to get mad and blame God and feel as if He has somehow disappointed us! Often, this happens because we have tried to make God in our own image - created our own form of idol worship where we are in charge and God is expected to follow our lead!

Truthfully, for most of us, the most honest answer to the question is that our view changes at different times in our lives and in different situations. As a Christian I prefer the positive view. I like to think of God as the Spirit that fills me, the Friend who walks beside me, and the loving Father who watches over me daily. This is the God I believe in, and this is how I see Him. I would encourage you to do the same!