Dear God,

I find it hard these days to know what to call you,

Mother Father, Holy parent

Spirit, guide, or spirit-guide

deep internal knowing,

love, oh I mean Love, with a capital L,

ground and source of all being,

knowable but unknowable,

deep mystery,

holder of all things,

all in all,

God, is not a big enough word…

and words are important,

because I watch peoples faces when I say God,

some of them close down,

and with good reason,

what they’ve been taught about you

is restrictive at best,

you are a holy dictator bent on punishement,

probably disapproving of all we do or say,

ready with thunderbolt in hand to ponce on the slightest mis-step!

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I was once fearful of you,

waiting for punishment,

filled with shame and guilt,

wracked by the sense of my own inadequacy,

and in my darker moments I still am,

I wait with bated breath for the truth to be made plain,

I am not worthy of your attention,

and probably bound for hell…

thank goodness you have now shown me that hell does not exist!

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So, dear God,

will you help me to become really free,

to be more fully human like Jesus was,

embracing life in light and shadow,

showing us how to be whole,

not demanding a false perfection from us,

will you help me to use names for you that will help rather than hinder people,

so forgive me if I rarely name you Lord,

and hesitate to speak in triumphant tones,

but I will call you LOVE, I will call you divine parent,

creator, and whatever comes to mind

as I seek to connect myself and others to the wonder of your presence….

and help me I pray to know myself

embraced, by the one who will not let me go..