Mark Dohle
Well-Known Member
Being Childlike Before God
““You’re not very sure of this, are you? There is always this distance that you put between God and His children, whereas I try to remove all distance. Oh, My beloved friends, come to Me more simply. I always make the comparison of the little child who throws her two arms around her Father’s neck. Do you need so much ceremony to love Him, to thank Him? Don’t you see that the Father gives more tenderness than He receives?”
Bossis, Gabrielle. He and I (pp. 172-173). Pauline Books and Media. Kindle Edition.
Many people balk at the thought of a God who is personal, loving, and present to all his children, as well as to all of creation. Yet as humans are not relationships necessary for our fulfillment and even emotional and psychological health? Jesus came to give us a glimpse of this reality. When reading the Gospels, it is good to focus on how he related to those he met. He saw each as they were, deeply and truly, and because of that was able to love each uniquely. He did not deal with stereotypes or projections but with the naked truth. I would think that this was not an easy path to follow, to see the deep angst that each human has to deal with throughout their lives.
There is no distance between God and man. Yet, if someone refuses to seek truth, to live only for themselves, and to objective reality as something to be used and discarded, then a conscious, loving, relationship is not possible.
We are called to be childlike before God. What is considered adulthood is often simple self-destructive madness. A heart empty of love will seek to fill the void with other gods, leading to inner chaos and eventually death, both physically and on the level of one’s spirit.
God is not the problem, we are, and I am. -BrMD