We all have our own interpretation of what God is like.

It’s common to imagine a man with a white beard and piercing eyes. And it’s common to be distant and fearful of him.

Did you know God wants us to know him?

I can tell you partly what God is like.

One day, I was taking my son (12 yrs. old at the time) and his 2 friends to see a movie. We were early, so they walked around our small town for 1/2 an hour.

When they got back to the theater, my son couldn’t find the $40 he had in his back pocket. I could read his face as he searched every pocket.

“Let’s re-trace your steps,” I suggested, after I had asked him if he had pulled his wallet out, causing the 2-$20 bills he had slipped in his back pocket to fall out.

We followed the sidewalk, searching, and entered one store we had been in.

Nothing.

“Search the other side of the street. I’ll be right back,” I said.

I quickly ran to an ATM that was at a local bank to replace what I doubted he would find. By the time they got back to the theater, I was there, and handed him 2 more $20 bills.

He smiled and they went into the theater just in time.

That’s what God is like.

I don’t know what your story is.  Personally, I spent many, many years thinking God was punishing me whenever something went wrong. Also, our earthly father relationships can interpret what God is like, too. If you had a stern father, you might think God is stern. If you were abandoned by your father, you might think God is very far away or not around at all.

I can tell you this is truth: God loved us so very much he covered our sins.

Just like I didn’t yell at my son or show any frustration with him losing $40, God does not expose, condemn, or ridicule us. He made a way. He bridged the gap. He reconciled. He restored.

While we were still sinners Christ died for us. 

If you’re reading this today, perhaps it is meant to be. I can’t imagine living without knowing God’s unconditional love for me.

That doesn’t mean we deliberately do wrong. What if my son snatched the $40 and wasn’t grateful?

That’s why we don’t purposely sin. Not because there are a set of rules to keep. Jesus died because we could never keep the rules.

We don’t want to sin because an act of love causes us to love back.

How about you?

How do you view God?

We cannot only think of what God didn’t do for us, but we should think about what he has done for us.

The losses we have faced in life? One day, he will redeem those, too.

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photo credit:  Corrie ten Boom Museum via Foter.com/ CC BY-NC-ND