Perceptions and the Father Heart of God – what does it mean?

Lately we have been investigating perceptions and the Father Heart of God…
and I have been asking you to do rating exercises and making paper stones…

and now we will work at putting it all together!

It is now time to REALLY take out your first list, the one in which you rated how you REALLY felt God was each characteristic…I did a similar exercise about 15 years ago, and I am here to say that I have grown in the past 15 years! Back then, I didn’t think God was trustworthy, engaged, approachable, affectionate, or accepting. My rating was at a 6 or below!  I knew in my head that He sent His only begotten Son to die for my sins, but I felt like I was a pretty big disappointment to Him and I saw Him as the “big policeman in the sky”, who “kept score”, and I was certain I was going to enter heaven with my white robes scorched around the hem and smelling of smoke (meaning: I barely escaped the penalty of sin)!

What do the ratings in your list indicate about how you truly view God?

Next, take out the second list you created, where you rated your earthly father on the same characteristics.  Look at any characteristics that are rated the same or within 2 numbers in each list.  This comparison shows how your perception of your earthly father has influenced your view of your Heavenly Father…for me, it was truly a revolutionary point in my relationship with God.  Seeing how I viewed God in similar ways as I viewed my earthly father was the simple moment of clarity I needed to move forward into a deeper intimacy with God, and ultimately in building a healthier view of myself and a stronger personal identity (more on this will be discussed as we continue this spiritual journey).

What do the compared ratings indicate how your earthly father has influenced your view of God?

Take some time to journal about this comparison.  Perhaps write a short letter to yourself, accepting what you have learned about how you have viewed both fathers, and writing about disengaging from the past and moving forward with God.

Tomorrow we will work more with the paper stones and our healing artwork based on them.