Upwrite

Really?  Really, He’s not a “he”?  He’s not, but I forget that.  Calling God a “he” is an adjustment we’ve made according to the limits of language.  This isn’t some feminist theology type stuff (I know hardly anything about feminist theology).  God is a genderless and sexless spirit being.   At the same time, there are multiple instances of Jesus calling God “Father”, and God himself refers to himself as a “he”.  I believe in staying true to that revelation.

However…

The more I think about it, the more I realize how my “he” construction of God has negatively affected my understanding of God.  Wait, I think I messed that up.  It’s more like…my life experiences with human “he’s” have negatively affected my understanding of God.  I wonder if I subconsciously project onto God a Western, American masculinity.  Why would that be a problem?  Because I loathe the aggressive, dominant, objectifying, exploitative, Western-American construction of masculinity.  And when I assume that God is like the “he” of my earthly experience, I find that I want nothing to do with God.

It’s not that God doesn’t embody some typically masculine traits.  He is mighty. He is the essence of strength, provision, protection, and power. He is a king, a conqueror, and a defender.  But He is also patient, gentle, loving, nurturing, and emotional.  This is why it has become paramount for me to learn the character of God.  Because He is not he.