Sometimes I Wish God Had a Different Name

My kids started Vacation Bible School for the first time today, and when we walked into the church and my 6 year old saw the line of pews and stained glass walls, he looked up at me and said, “What is this?” I said, “This is a Church, and this is where you learn about God.” Right then, I knew this was going to be an important day, but I was nervous about the messages they were going to receive there and wondered if it would line up with my own personal beliefs, which I wasn't sure would be found in a church. 

Sometimes I wish God had a different name.  When I think of the word “God”, I instantly see the image of a man with a human form and a white beard that lives in the clouds and dictates how people should live their lives, or else face His wrath. This God has always been scary and confusing to me. So I guess I have shied away from the conversations with my kids altogether, leaving them grasping for answers to questions like, What is Heaven? Who is God? What happens when you die?

I want them to know God as something else. To me, God is Energy, God is a Universal all-encompassing entity. “God” is not a “He” or a “She”. God is everywhere and God is everything.  It is you, me, the flowers in my yard, the stars in the sky and the air that we breathe.  God is in you and God IS you. I don’t know how to convey this to a 6 and 3 year old- it’s a concept I still have a difficult time grasping myself. Instead, we talk about LOVE and KINDNESS and HELPING and SHARING and HONESTY. At the end of the day, that is what I believe the Universe is trying to teach us all anyway. God is LOVE, pure and simple. 

When the boys got in the car, my youngest said, “We learned about God today!” I said, “What did you learn?”  His eyes got really big and he smiled and said, “GOD IS EVERYWHERE!”  And then he gave me very vivid details of the snack he ate there.

On the back of the pamphlet they brought home, it explained that even though we can’t see God, we can see evidence of God’s presence and it encouraged us as parents to help our kids see these things. It could be a sunset or a flower or food or a hug or a friend that makes us smile. Yes… 

GOD = LOVE. 

LOVE is EVERYWHERE. 

LOVE IS EVERYTHING. 

I think we will go back tomorrow. J

P.S. If you are interested in a LOVE sign like the one above, please feel free to contact me for more info!