While discussing spirituality with me, an agnostic friend expressed surprise when I compared prayer time to conversations. "Let me get this straight," he said. "So when you talk to God, he actually answers back? Like a person?" His tone resembled that of a horror movie parent listening to her child describe the little ghost girl living upstairs.
"So what's God like?" my friend asked me, leaving me stammering, as it felt kind of awkward to describe God's characteristics to someone who saw God as a soulless, yet all-powerful element, perhaps The Force personified. It wasn't as if my friend were mocking me, either. He genuinely wanted to know.
Is God emotional? Does He give prompt replies? What does He tell you? I don't remember exactly how I answered, but it was something along the lines of "it takes a spiritual mindset to experience God's active presence," something equally vague and generic.
It's been about a year since that conversation, and I'm still trying to figure out a better answer. After going on a spiritual/prayer hiatus for a few months afterward, I lost touch of who God is and started depending on my (fuzzy) memories of Him or flipping through the Bible at random times. Getting back on track -
really praying - felt a little weird - kind of like reuniting with a high school friend I'd only kept up with via Facebook or birthday text message.
Since then, I've realized that the Bible really isn't enough. "God is Love because 1 John says so," is an insufficient answer for a person who wants to know God as an active member of a relationship. Basing God solely on the Word is like basing everything I know about my best friend from her Facebook profile. She watches anime, she likes basketball, she's an accounting major, and she dresses like a tomboy. Those are things you can figure out with the click of a mouse and ten minutes of your time, but it'd take you years to really understand her dreams, her insecurities, and the things that make her laugh or feel loved.
The Bible says things
about God, but it doesn't give you a complete picture of
who God is. Pardon the extended Facebook analogy, but like wall posts, scripture describes God through the eyes of people who've met him; figuring out that my BFF loves to eat from a wall post that says, "HAHA UR SUCH A PIG LOL" provides a clue to her personality, but it isn't the same as actually sharing a meal with her and seeing her healthy appetite for myself.
Don't get me wrong, the Bible's a great starting point to acquaint (or re-acquaint) yourself with God, but it takes serious, dedicated effort to know His character on a personal level. The Bible says that God is patient and slow to anger, but it took not only serious prayer, but involving God in my personal failings and my growth as a Christian for me to really believe that. Of course, I can't really get to know God through and through since I'm, um, mortal, but I'm getting a little closer to speaking sincerely about the God in my life, not just the God of ancient texts.
How does God reveal Himself to you? How would you describe God to someone who does not know Him?
