Usually, it’s coffee, ice cream, or social media. But this Lent was different.

“I’m giving up my image of God,” I replied. 

 “What?” My wife’s face lit with surprise. “You’re giving up on God?

“No. I’m giving up my image of God.”

I explained that I wanted to move from an intellectual, God-in-a-box understanding of God to experiencing a real-life relationship with the Creator.

I wanted to discover “God with Skin.” 

But there are two models for our relationship with the Creator, according to Hauser.

One model suggests: We initiate—God rewards.

The other states: God initiates—we respond.

Hauser calls the first model the “Western model.”

The Western model suggests we’re in control. When we do good, God is supposed to reward us. We initiate the relationship by striving to be perfect. When we’re “good,” God responds by giving us what we desire—wealth, good health, a happy family.

The Western model reminds me of Pinocchio. We pretend we’re Geppetto and God’s Pinocchio. We try to pull God’s puppet strings by doing good, expecting the Creator will shower us with blessings. Because we’re always seeking to please God and gain the Creator’s favor, we think we’re in charge, but we’re not. Bad things still happen even when we do good.

Hauser helped me understand the Western model was wrong because it prevents me from listening with my heart. I was too busy trying to pull God’s strings. I wanted to earn God’s favor by being flawless.

But God’s not a puppet-god. And hard as I try, I won’t reach perfection.

God initiates and moves in our lives, drawing us toward wholeness, inner peace, and balance. Our job is to listen and determine where and how God is guiding us. We then respond by following the Spirit’s lead.

The scriptural model says we’re God’s Beloved. The Creator wants what’s best for us.

Because we’re unconditionally loved by our Creator, we’ve been given the gift of discernment.

Hauser describes discernment as: “My effort with God’s grace to respond to the movement of the Spirit within myself.”

The word comes from the French root discerner—to separate by sifting; to distinguish between; to perceive; to learn wisdom.

I now perceive my relationship with God as one of intimacy—“in-to-me-see.”

I trust God—knowing the Creator has my back and wants me to be happy—so I open my heart and let the Creator see-into-me. I then see-into-God’s heart.

The language of God is silence. So, when we listen in the quiet of our hearts, we strengthen the spiritual muscle of discernment. We respond to the movement of the Holy Spirit.

 Hauser helped me realize my image of God was wrong. I’ve stopped striving to be a perfect person. Instead, I set aside daily quiet time to stop and listen for Divine directions. I open my heart each morning to let God love me and teach me how to live.

My image of God continues to change like with any relationship. Sometimes the Creator is Mystery. Other times, God is as close as my skin. He’s the “in-to-me-see God” who desires to guide us with Divine Wisdom.

“Who or what is God to me? What word, image, or phrase describes my relationship with the Creator?”

Make sure your image of God is big enough to embrace you with Infinite Unconditional Love.

—brian j plachta
brianplachta.com