Recently I’ve been reading Fathered by God, by John Eldredge. It’s definitely challenging me to broaden my understanding of who God is and how God works. It’s also causing me to look at wounds in my life that have deeply affected me psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually. I’m coming to find that my wounds have negative consequences on how I treat others, and that my wounds taint the way I look at God, too.

It’s easy to misinterpret the pains of life and assume that God must not have wanted me to have this or that. That somehow, God is withholding pleasure from us. Even as I write these words I know I’m guilty of thinking this way. But isn’t that such a low view of God? The great myth is that God is adverse to pleasure – that we can have fun or follow God, but you surely can’t have both.

But, that’s completely wrong. Actually God is committed to a greater pleasure than we can comprehend. And the good news is, it’s simply found in following him. He is so committed to offering us this pleasure that he sent his Son to pay the price in order that we could have access to it.

Eldredge reminds that, “so much of what we misinterpret as hassles or trials or screw-ups on our part are in fact God fathering us, taking us through something in order to strengthen us, or heal us, or dismantle some unholy thing in us.” It’s important to remember that wounds inflicted on us as a consequence of living in a fallen world shouldn’t be projected on God as though he is some sort of distant father who leads like an oppressive dictator. Rather as Eldrege says, “You are the [child] of a kind, strong, and engaged Father, a Father wise enough to guide you in the Way, generous enough to provide for your journey, offering to walk with you every step.”

How we understand God will undoubtedly affect the way relate to him (or don’t relate to him!). What might you be projecting onto God that creates a barrier in your relationship with him?