My God Image: How It Impacts How I Approach God

In the Gospel of today, Mt 7: 7-12, Jesus tells us to “ask and you shall receive, knock and the door will be opened, seek and you shall find.”    A God who cares, who wants us to knock at the door of His heart, and who wants us to seek Him, to seek His face, to seek His love, to seek His help, to seek His forgiveness in all things is the God  with whom Jesus invites us to fall in love and to get to know intimately.

Ever go to the door of your superiors, or to another person, in trepidation? “Will he/she receive me? Will I be turned away? Will my boss/this person be too busy? Will I be treated with scorn? Will I be chastised? Will the tables be turned against me? Will my boss/this person retaliate against me?” we may wonder.No surprise that we approach God with little confidence, or don’t approach Him/Her at all!  Past experiences with authority figures, or with other persons who treated us badly,  may be very much alive in our sub- or unconscious minds. We may also have been taught, as youngsters, that God is a God of revenge, a demanding God, a God keeping score of our wrongdoing; who, with no hesitation, throws His/Her “enemies” into the everlasting flames.

This is not the God Jesus reveals to us.  Jesus reveals a God who is compassionate, eager to wipe away our tears, heal our wounds, bring us back to health, put His arms around,  forgive our sins and reconcile us to Him/Herself-- a God who quickly reassures us, comforts us, especially when our sins are scarlet red: “This day you will be with me in paradise.”  We will always encounter a God from whom healing power flows when we touch but the hem of His garment, a God who confronts our accusers and says to us “I do not condemn you.” 

We might be saying: “Whew!  What an encounter. Why did I not prostrate myself before God sooner? Why was I afraid to approach the God who Jesus taught, by His words and actions, is a God of compassion, love, and, kindness toward all who call upon Him.