Here is what I used to think God was like-
- A Tyrant
- A Callous, Condemning Judge (Who was waiting for me to fail so He could zap me.)
- Angry
- Displeased
- Fed-Up
I was scared of God. The Lord’s Prayer instructs us to pray for God’s kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven (Matthew 6:9-13). I could not pray that without holding something back. I was afraid of what God would send me.
Much has been written about the decline of the church. The numbers are dismal. The Pew Research Council says now 3 in 10 adults say they do not attend church. When asked why, 37% of them pointed to an issue within church or religion itself.
I can’t help but wonder if it is because the Church has given God a bad rap.
I would love to hear from you about this issue whether you attend church or not. What image of God have you received from the church? Is it the image of an angry judge or a gracious Father? Have you ever struggled with the fear that God is displeased with you? Do you think God likes you?
If you don’t want your name associated with your comments you can e-mail your response to me and I will post your feedback anonymously. sherri@sherrigragg.com
I went through a bit of a God crises a few years back. I made the mistake of reading the Old Testament on my own without a real place to bounce ideas off of without condemnation for the very questions themselves. The churches I grew up in certainly would have put me in the corner and given me a fortune cookie answer. I was a black sheep for questioning anything. I saw God as vengeful and petty at times. How did this God jive with Christ? I couldn’t make it fit. It took looking at those stories through the lens of history and culture to really understand God’s love in all of it. The churches of my youth would have condemned me for looking into it critically. No doubt and no intellect allowed.