The Cosmic Policeman
Picture a classroom in a “traditional” church building.
Little wooden tables and chairs.
Felt white Jesus hanging on a wall with a nice white robe with the felt white disciples hanging right next to him.
His arms outstretched, looking off into the distance.
Maybe he was looking for God?
I certainly was.
It was in this type of classroom that I was taught about God.
The God who created the world 4000 years ago.
The God who watched every single thought and action.
AND . . . was ready and waiting to “lower the boom” once a misstep was made.
One particular Sunday, after singing “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” . . . I remember a particular lesson that caused me to feel the weight of every ‘wrong’ action I might have committed that week. The idea that God was watching, waiting to catch me in a mistake, filled me with a quiet, persistent fear. It was that day I became “saved.”
God loved me, yes. But, God also punished me so that I would live the right way and ultimately be worthy of heaven. If I messed up too much, then heaven would not be mine. I would be “left behind.”
Harsh words to a little girl who’d just watched her mom die in the middle of a worship service. Who because of “life stuff” had intense fears of being left behind.
This was my understanding of God.
The word “God.”
For the word to be so small, it is perhaps one of the most complex words in existence.
This tiny, three-letter word holds within it the power to comfort or condemn, to unite or divide, to inspire awe or instill fear. It’s a word that, depending on how it is understood, can either open up or close off the vastness of the divine mystery.
Call to Action: Reimagining God
As we reflect on this, I invite you to consider: How has your understanding of God shaped your life? Does the God you were taught about as a child still resonate with you today, or do you feel a stirring within your soul to seek something more?
Or, is God new to you completely?
Just as the word “God” is complex, so too is our relationship with the divine.
Perhaps it’s time to reimagine what this word means for you.
What if God isn’t the cosmic policeman, watching for every misstep?
What if God is more than the distant figure from your childhood?
What if God is the presence that meets you in your fear, your pain, your questioning?
Take a moment this week to sit with these questions. As you do, be open to the possibility that your understanding of God can grow and evolve. Let go of the images that no longer serve you, and allow yourself to embrace a God who is not just waiting for you to stumble, but who is walking with you through every step of your journey, inviting you into a deeper, more expansive experience of love and grace.
May this journey of reimagining lead you not to a God of fear and punishment, but to a God of compassion, presence, and infinite possibility.