We hear the familiar words: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth…. and then separated light from dark…” (Genesis 1:1) This Day 1. On Day 6, we humans show. “God says, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness…’” (Genesis 1:26). And so we arrive, unique among God’s creatures, created “in the image of God”. 

But what does it mean to be created “in the image of God?” How are we to live our “God image” nature?

At its best, Christian theology, worship, moral teaching, and prayer function to guide us. Living our “image of God” nature means loving others as God has loved us, with a heavy emphasis on practicing forgiveness. “Loving others” means appreciating the dignity of each human life, regardless of class, race, gender or any other category. For Christians, Jesus Christ is the “way, the truth, and the life” whom we follow to live into our nature as an image of God.

As children and adults, we form our God pictures from experiences with trusted teachers, including parents, clergy, and friends, as well as scripture and other religious and non-religious writings. Images of God may also come to us through music, dance, art, architecture, and media as expressions of religious figures, scenes from scripture, or creative imaging of spiritual realities, like angels and demons.

We humans absorb these images as a way of making sense of God, of ourselves, and the world. Our images of God are powerful forces that shape our faith, our values, our self-identity, and how we see the world. We carry these God pictures with us, as images, feelings, intuitions, sensations, thoughts, and ideas. These images hold our aspirations, longings, doubts, and fears about who we are and our relationship to God. They may motivate us to do great things or help us show up for the routine of daily life. Our pictures of God show us who we think we are and who we are not; who we want to be and who we do not want to be. These inner perceptions of transcendent reality move, shape, and re-form over time throughout our lives. Our images of God help shape and inspire our values, what we care about for ourselves and the world.

Judeo-Christian scriptures present a wide range of varied and sometimes contradictory images of who God is. For example, God is a loving father, the creator of the universe, a royal king, a shepherd, a prophet, and a divine leader. Scripture also portrays God as an angry, jealous tyrant. For Christians, Jesus Christ is the ultimate image of God. And in the Gospels, images of Jesus abound. Jesus is a friend, lover, guide, prophet, healer, king, disgraced leader, not to mention a fraud.

This multiplicity of images has its corollary in our own minds. Our inner images of God are both conscious and unconscious images. Our childhood experiences with parents and other significant caregivers form our deepest, often unconscious images of God. These unconscious images may contract our conscious ones. For example, consciously, we may believe that “God is love.” But if Mom was caring but distant, we unconsciously project these qualities onto God and form a “caring but distant” God image. If Dad was angry, we may develop an image of God as the “angry father.” The “caring but distant God” and the “angry father God” show up in our deep responses to our life experiences, emotional reactions and behavior in relationships, work, and how we manage our lives.

We project onto God the qualities of those who deeply influence us, especially the qualities of our childhood caregivers. As we get older, we add to our images of God based on our experiences with teachers, authority figures, and clergy. Public figures, including movie stars, musicians, and other artists, political and sports figures, can shape our God pictures. 

Unconscious images of God become powerful forces in our inner terrain, shaping our capacity to trust. Notice that “made in the image of” means that how we perceive God affects how we perceive ourselves. As in the above example, if I hold an unconscious belief in God as an angry parent, who am I? I will probably see myself as a child in need of punishment or as a child who needs to escape from an abusive father (or mother). Our unconscious images of God and self underlie our tendencies to judge ourselves and others harshly or more easily trust in the goodness of self, God, and the world.

Ann Ulanov was a beloved teacher and theologian who created the Department of Psychiatry and Religion at Union Seminary in New York City. This was one of the first that brought together depth psychology and Christianity. Her book, Picturing God, is a collection of essays that masterfully explore the dynamics of images of God and self. This is important and often neglected terrain. She writes: “All of our most intimate and most important experiences with our own human depths, with other people, and with the living Spirit, are imbued with mixtures of consciousness and the unconscious…” (Ann Belford Ulanov, Picturing God, Cowley Publications, 1986, page 11)

Because our images of God and self are so intertwined, and often unconscious, it is valuable to spend some time reflecting on our lives and discover the array of images that we hold of God and ourselves. There is no one right way to do this work. Sometimes the process triggers old wounds. If this happens, seek help from a therapist spiritual director (clergy or lay), therapist, or close friend. The key is to meet with someone with whom you can have an honest conversation about faith and the dynamics of your inner experience. 

The process of exploring images of God and self helps us discover truth from illusion. As we examine our unconscious beliefs, we discover what is really driving our faith, like finding the “levers” of our faith. We learn to distinguish what we truly believe from what we say we believe; what we have been told to believe. This can be deeply healing. In engaging this process of examination, our faith becomes more alive, vibrant, and authentic. This is holy work. 

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” (John 15: 1-4)

REFLECTION EXERCISE:  IMAGES OF GOD AND SELF

This exercise brings to awareness how some of your images of God and self have formed. This can be a powerful exercise and may evoke deep emotional reactions. If at any point you feel overwhelmed, stop. Take time to re-ground and nourish yourself with some healthful activity, like reading a fun book, taking a walk, spending time with a friend, meditating with scripture, etc. If you feel ready, come back to the exercise. If not, let it go for now.

Set aside 30-45 minutes for this exercise when no one will disturb you. You will need paper and pen. You may choose to use a spiral notebook.

1. Begin with prayer. Ask for God’s guidance as you reflect on your life experiences.

2. Make a list of your significant caregivers (parents and/or others) from your early childhood (birth through 12 years old). Remember: we form our deepest (often unconscious) images of God from our experiences with early caregivers, which we project onto God. Often, these images are unconscious. 

3. Select 2 or 3 people from your list. If comfortable, include at least one of your parents.  

4. For each person, make a list of his/her qualities that stand you most remember. Include both positive and negative qualities. For example, positive qualities might include loving, tender, helpful, hard-working, playful. Negative qualities might include angry, mean, demeaning, shaming, critical.  

5. For each quality, ask yourself: “As a child, how did I feel when I experienced this quality in my caregiver?” For example, if my mother was a loving, soft-spoken person, I probably enjoyed being with her and felt safe. If she erupted in anger when I least expected it, I probably felt frightened and assumed I did something wrong. 

6. Reflect on how you may have projected some of these qualities onto God. These become your personal images of God. How do these images agree or conflict with your conscious belief about God and yourself? Are there times when you respond to God as you responded to your caregivers as a child? What beliefs about God and yourself do you want to cultivate? To let go? Write about this experience on paper or in a notebook or journal.  

7. Close with a prayer of thanksgiving, asking for healing in any areas of suffering that you may experience. 

Please share your responses to this post in the comments section. If you explored the reflection exercise, how did it go?