How do you see God the Father?

How do you know Jesus?  Do you ever imagine what it was like, walking around with Jesus, listening to His Stories, receiving you with His warm Eyes, gentle words and loving smile?

I have often tried to imagine what a talk with Jesus would be like, face to Face.  I have compiled all of my favorite traits in the people I love and extrapolated them, in their most perfect form to build my profile of Jesus. I have had a few superheroes in my life to draw from.

 

How do you see God the Father? I heard once how our relationship and impression of God is influenced by our human fathers and our other human relationships.  I think as I have matured in my Faith, I have recognized that my default image of God was that of a Judge, keeping a list and checking it twice.  I have even expected a little rolling of the Eyes as I confessed the same sins and issues at each confession.

One time, I asked my spiritual director about this very same thing.  I said "What is Jesus doing, each time I confess the same sin or struggle...over and over.?" I think I suspected that the Lord must be getting as tired of this as I was, maybe shaking His Head a little bit, smirking or mouthing the words 'again!?'

My priest friend just gently responded "smiling".

 

YES!  That's what we do, for the most part, with our kids, right?  Hopefully?

When our toddler climbs into the fridge to grab the pickle jar..for the gazillionth time?

(OK, after we save the pickle jar from crashing to the floor and pull the child out of the fridge and close the fridge door, hoping the suction in the door will just be a little too strong for him next time?)

 

When a toddler decides to draw with a marker on any available surfaces including walls, furniture and skin?

When a toddler decides to explore what his snack will look like if he tries to play it in the DVD player or computer?

When a toddler finds the chocolate cake that was reserved for tonight's birthday celebration and decides to taste a handful?

When a toddler, drawn by the bright blinking light decides to turn off the computer, change the settings of the dishwasher or stereo?

Yes, each of these scenarios mysteriously sound like our 5^th child Adam…

When a child must be extracted from some shiny thing in the Walmart aisle...

When you find the stack of dirty laundry under a child's bed or his un-emptied lunchbox from Friday...

When a teenager forgets to call or neglects a chore...

When a teenager insists that she absolutely needs the latest release of her current favorite band...

OK, there may be a slightly less virtuous Prodigal Father response immediately, out of surprise, and looking at the fixing and cleaning attempts ahead ...or rehearsing the familiar script of responsibility or materialism... but we don't love them any less, despite our human response.

How much more loving, (thank God!) is our loving Father as he yearns to draw us closer to Himself, smiling at our efforts to overcome our struggles?

 

A beloved pastor once described how children would run to him after Mass and when he hugged them, they would be enveloped by his priestly vestments. 

I can still see my daughter scramble up into the arms of our beloved Fr. Dan, eagerly awaiting a word or a smile.

I see my two youngest kids, as they run to their Dad's arms: a grand homecoming regardless if it followed a long day of work....or a 30-second trip to the garage.

 

I recall the words written to me on the inside of a favorite book:  "remember....you are unconditionally loved by God and sustained at every moment by His Grace." 

Someday I hope to run into the Arms of God, to be received and completely enveloped by His Dazzling white robe-clad arms, with child-like Faith and confidence that I am His Beloved Daughter with whom He is well pleased.

 





Monica is a wife, Mom of 5+ kids, a designer, an architecture school survivor, an author and a crafter who thinks that it’s cool to be Catholic! Check out the Arma Dei Shoppe for solid Catholic, fun teaching tools and gifts to celebrate and teach the Catholic Faith and subscribe to Equipping Catholic Families for family-building and Faith-centred crafts!