Instagram God
by Maxie Kamalski
[Reflections on the book Raw Spirituality by Tom Smith]
There is so much truth in the saying “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Think about the skyrocketing growth of Instagram and other social media photo apps. Sometimes, people can make it seem like life is perfect by the pictures that they post, but reality tells a whole different story. However, the ‘life is perfect’ story is the only one you know because all you have are the pictures. Our pictures of people define how we feel about them, and the same goes for God – Our picture of God defines our relationship with Him, what we feel and think about Him.
At the core of our spirituality is this picture of God we have in our heart and head. I say both, because sometimes our heart and our head pictures contradict each other. Logically, we think God has to be a certain way, but through experience we might feel something completely different.
As I was reading this week I was trying to think what my core picture of God is. It’s such a hard thing to try and pinpoint your picture of God. Is my picture based on my family upbringing and my culture, which has given me a picture of what God ‘should be?’ Or is my picture tainted because life has been hard in unexplained ways that have left hurt and resentment towards God at His seeming distance? I wonder what picture I would post if I was asked to post an Instagram of what I think God is like.
I was reminded by a friend (through an Instagram picture :) ) of a picture of God I shared once. Imagine for a moment three friends are playing cards. They are enjoying being together and laughing with each other. They are having such a great time and all they want to do is share this precious moment of harmonious deep relationship. Imagine now that this circle of friendship is the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and all that they want to do is to share the beauty of their relationship with someone. Thus, they created earth, and us within it!
When I reflect on that picture of God, I realize how important all my relationships are. I am reminded that I need to take such good care of them, because it’s something so important to God’s heart. My picture of God filters everything I do. When my experiences in a broken world try to tell me that God doesn’t really care, hopelessness, fear and anxiety fill my heart. But when I am reminded of the God in the Bible that ‘works ALL things together for good for those who love him’ as Romans 8 declares, hope and peace begin to fill my heart and give me courage to face whatever lies before me.
What is your picture of God and how does it shape your daily spirituality?