Wk 2: What is "God"?
Let's Begin by Defining Our Terms
In 2021, when I first became aware there was a genre called spiritual memoir, I went looking for an author to explain that genre to me. I found Elizabeth Jarrett Andrew’s Writing the Sacred Journey: The Art and Practice of Spiritual Memoir. In her book, she made a declaration that surprised me: When talking about God, we must define our terms.
At the time, I guess I realized that “God” meant different things to different people. But I hadn’t thought too deeply about what the term "God” meant to me, or how it might be different from what others meant. But Elizabeth convinced me that I now needed to sort this out.
And then I remembered that I once (back in 2013) started to read a book on this very topic: Rob Bell’s What We Talk About When We Talk About God.
I pulled my copy off the shelf and read it. The whole thing. I love what he has to say about what he means by “God.” So my flippant answer to the question of what I mean by “God” is this: read Rob’s book.
Want to Know My Answer?
Right now, I’m torn between giving you my serious answer (what I mean by “God”) and just letting you answer for yourself—without any influence on my part. I’m thinking—even though I have already written my answer—that it would be better to let you think about this for yourself first.
Sorry. Not sorry.
Your Assignments for Week 2
Here are some thoughts and prompts to help you explore your current views on God—or Higher Power, or Spirit, or the divinity of your choice. (Note that the numbering continues from last week’s prompts.)
As before, your assignment is to complete the daily reading, answer the question(s) in your journal, and (optionally) to share on Substack. Each day’s thoughts/prompts will be posted as a Substack note, in addition to appearing below.
On Substack, you can respond at the bottom of the note (which is convenient, but public). Alternatively, you can DM me or post in the subscriber-only chat thread. Or, keep your responses totally private. Totally up to you.
But if you do choose to not share, please leave the comment “Done.” It will put a smile on my face. 😊
If there’s something you wished I had asked on this topic, feel free to write about that. And please suggest your additional prompt in the comments.
PROMPT #7: What Do You Mean by “God”?
Everyone sees God a little differently. Maybe a lot differently. Our image of the divine develops from what we’ve been taught, plus our unique life experiences.
Now that I’ve started this series about rebuilding your faith, I realize that thinking about your own image of God is a valuable early step. And, while you’re in the mode of taking bearings—seeing where you are right now—it seems appropriate to answer this question for yourself.
Do you even like to use the word “God”? Maybe you prefer Higher Power, or Spirit, or the Universe, or some other term that’s meaningful to you. Maybe you reject all of that and prefer to think in terms of your Inner Self.
What word do you prefer to use for the divine?
Is that the word you’ve always used?
If there was a change, how did that come about?
PROMPT #8: How Would You Describe “God”?
If I were to ask you to describe a family member, you might touch on several areas:
Appearance
Roles
Abilities
Strengths and weaknesses
Personality (including sense of humor)
Your relationship
You already have some concept in your head about ways you might describe God. In particular, what role God plays in your life is a really important dimension to consider.
What qualities do you associate with the divine?
How would you describe God (or your preferred Higher Power)?
What role does God/Higher Power play in your life?
PROMPT #9: Isn’t God Sort-of the Destination?
In last week’s article (Are You in Spiritual Trauma?), I talked about the importance of taking bearings before beginning a journey of spiritual exploration and growth. But in order to chart a course, we need to know the destination as well.
Or do we?
Maybe all we need to know is the direction we’re heading.
Towards the mysterious spiritual pull we feel.
Towards the answers we seek.
I like to think of a spiritual journey as an exploration of a maze-like garden.
They say the best garden paths feature some object—a gazing ball or a piece of sculpture—that sits at what appears to be the end of the path. The object draws you to come nearer to inspect it up close. Just as you get there, you realize the path turns. There is yet another object up ahead that compels you deeper into the garden. And so it continues.
What’s your goal for this twelve-month spiritual journey?
Is there a destination you want to get to?
Or are you just wanting to move in a certain direction?
PROMPT #10: Where Did You Begin?
My earliest memory of church was going to Sunday School at the age of 3.
My teacher was Mom’s aunt, Auntie Madge.
She would often arrive carrying an odd bowl-shaped satchel.
The satchel was made of red bandana-like fabric.
The smell of the popcorn inside was irresistible.
It can be helpful to look back to where our journey began. Often when I think back to events that happened in my childhood, I find myself saying, “Well, that explains a lot” (like my addiction to popcorn, maybe). I’m guessing you can relate.
Thinking back to our early experiences with God or our early training about God can help identify why we believe or feel as we do now, or what early indoctrination is keeping us from moving forward. It’s important to consciously recognize past limiting beliefs so we can mindfully evaluate their validity for us today.
What was your early religious training like?
What do you remember about classes, services, sacraments, special celebrations to mark achievements?
What were your teachers like?
In a word or two, no more than a sentence, how would you describe your childhood image of God?
Have you remembered anything that has become a limiting belief for you?
Can you see a way around this limit?
PROMPT #11: Answers Change as We Grow
In her book Freeing Jesus: Rediscovering Jesus as Friend, Teacher, Savior, Lord, Way, and Presence,
says that a spiritual journey is like a widening spiral, more inclusive with each turn. With each pass, we are freed to revisit and incorporate old understandings.I’m sure you realize that once you’ve spent some time on rebuilding, reconstructing, or growing your faith, your answer to What is God? will likely change. Your understanding might enlarge. That’s normal and to be expected.
That makes it all the more important to capture your thinking now, before any change begins. Before you lose clarity on what you used to think.
What have been the turning points in your understanding of God?
Was this change due to study? To life events?
How did your understanding change?
What is your understanding of God right now?
Describe any and all images of God you’ve held.
PROMPT #12: The Value of Reflection
In writing spiritual memoir over the last few years, I have discovered that the process of remembering and recording long-past events often leads to new insights. More than once, I have been struck by the realization that something I thought was true just isn’t.
Maybe this has happened to you.
Out of all the questions you answered this week, did anything come up that you found surprising?
Or particularly enlightening?
Or maybe that you had forgotten about?
Did your view of a past event change as you reconsidered its meaning?
Can’t wait to hear what you have to say!
Know someone who needs to hear this message? Please share or restack.
Happy Groundhog Day!
