The prophet Isaiah uses the image of motherhood to express God’s consoling presence. Images help us to order and understand our experiences. We are taught in Ignatian Spirituality to be aware of our image of God and which image of God we are operating under.
We often use the image of Father to refer to God. Our image of God is framed through time, through our Christian formation beginning at early childhood. Our image of God is shaped or influenced by our human experiences overtime, and it changes constantly. Our image of God builds up as our experiences increase; "if you always imagine
God in the same way, no matter how true and beautiful it may be, you will not be able to receive the gift of the new ways he has ready for you." (James Martin SJ)
Our image of God shapes how we interact or communicate with God in prayer. Our image of
God basically sets the tone for our behaviour with God.
Sometimes our image of God can neither be good or bad, rather it can be incomplete. An incomplete image of God, though not harmful does not enhance our relationship with God and prayer. As with all our relationships, growth and harmony are some of the positive outputs we look to build; a negative and/ or incomplete image of God will be a barrier to growth in our personal
relationship with him.
No single image of God is complete or tells the whole story. The way we see God is critical but equally critical is how we see ourselves. The two images are interdependent, the one affects the other. The image of self helps in order to gain greater self-awareness; to be able to determine what images are operating in our lives, help us grow in prayer, faith and love. Our
image of God is crucial because ultimately, we become like the image of God we worship.
Spend some time today reflecting on your image of God:
Is your God engaged with your experiences or disengaged?
Is God a judge or saviour?
Do you treat Him as a ruler or a lover?
Does God communicate with you?
Does He offer hope, mercy and love?
Is God interested in your world?
What is your image of God?
