when gender hurts

How do you draw your Creator near to you? What images or words spark your imagination and desire to connect to that which is beyond our comprehension?

Romans 8:15

So we cry out, “Abba, Father!”

My relationship with my father is complex. In a moment of need, it would not be my instinct to call out to him. 

The patriarchy in Christianity and the Bible specifically has always fallen flat for me.

I’ve sat through enough Father’s Day sermons to last a lifetime. In my old church circles, there was a cliche - tell me your relationship to your dad and I’ll tell you your relationship to God.

I've struggled with the image of God as a loving father. Maybe a gendered God is triggering for you as well. It's hard to escape our categories.

As you hold those tender pieces of yourself, I'd like to invite you to imagine who you would cry out to.

For me, I often call on God as a friend and feel closest to a Creator when I pray and think of Pachamama, which is Quechua for Mother Earth. 

How do you draw your Creator near to you? What images or words spark your imagination and desire to connect to that which is beyond our comprehension?

—Jeanette Rojas