Expand our images O Lord!

What images of God do we carry with us?

Do they empower us to seek and serve Christ in all people,

regardless of race, gender or creed?

Do they encourage us to strive for justice and peace

among all the peoples of the earth?

Do they help us to respect the dignity of every human being,

all of whom are created in the Divine Image?

If not, why do we keep them?

Images that induce guilt and fear (like the ones I grew up with)

can be tenacious in their hold upon our psyches.

Even when you think you have banished them they can pop up like burnt toast -

all smokey & smelly & needing a quick trip to the trash bin.

We need to expand our images of God in order to nourish our souls.

We need images that speak to the mystery that is God.

The image above is one that my adult daughter grew up with

that she would like to replace.

untold story

"There is no agony

like bearing an untold story

inside of you."

Maya Angelou

wallow away

"The only purpose of guilt is to enable us to recognize the pitfalls of the present so that we can do better the next time, not to wallow in the past."

- from The Fine Art of Living
by Joan Chittister


One thing I saw in all the pictures I found of wallowing animals - utter delight! Look at that smile. To wallow means to roll oneself about in an ungainly manner like this pig - but it also means to take unrestrained pleasure or delight - like this pig. So why do we want to wallow in something like guilt?