Thursday, February 24, 2005

How do you come to God ?

I've been thinking about this a fair bit, lately.

God has so many different ways that He relates to us. He is creator, lord and master, saviour, Father, lover, comforter, teacher, etc.

How do you come to God? What is the persona where you feel most comfortable relating to Him? And how do we get to embracing all of the different facets?

I've discovered that I have no problem relating to God as creator, master, teacher, and Father. But lover?.... That is just too big a stretch for me. I'm not saying it isn't a valid relationship, it's just more than I can wrap my perceptions around at the moment.

This morning I was trying to figure out what it is that makes that particular way of relating so difficult for me, and here's what I came up with...

A parent/child relationship is one of unequals. Not in value, but in what they bring to the relationship. It's supposed to be that way. Same with a teacher/student relationship. The giving goes overwhelmingly, though not completely, one way.

A marriage is a union of equals. At least that's how I understand it. And I think that's where I get tripped up. I've mentioned before about a vision I've had of dancing with Jesus, and just feeling the overwhelming need to pull away because I feel unworthy. I think that this is why. I'm not His equal. I just don't feel comfortable in that position.

Now, I can run to the Father and climb up in His lap and cuddle there and lay all my joys and sorrows out with complete comfort. But I just can't wrap myself around the intimacy of a bride and her groom when the groom is Jesus! I can't sing about longing to lie in the arms of my lover and have it refer to God. I just don't connect there. Something (in me, obviously) is just out of whack.

So, how does one make the leap? How do I relate to the same person as Father and Husband? How do you?

(Ever get the feeling that I'm a practical kind of person? I always have to know "how".)