Dear Gary,

After reading the articles on your website (very inspiring by the way).    I was wondering how you would describe the concept of “God”.  I find myself struggling with the meaning and the word “God”. For me the word God is associated with a person sitting somewhere up in heaven, telling people what is right and wrong, who are sinners and who are not. In my eyes, this is a God made up by people and it is not a God that I can relate to.
How would you describe God? Do you have any suggestions on another word to use, when referring to a “higher spiritual force/being”?
Many thanks in advance,
D H  D

My suggestion is for you to dispense with using the word “God”  For now, for you, it brings up a false image.  The word is a symbol linked to that image and as soon as you bring up that word the image comes.  With this imagined picture hanging in front of you it will be difficult to look around and see another possibility. I suggest reroute for the wiring in your brain.

I suggest using the word Life.  Life is more than a force in action, it is also infinite potential.  Life also has all the intelligence to make the planets spin, the sunshine, the plants to grow food, the atmosphere to make rain, and our lungs to breathe, and your heart to beat.  It is the intelligence and action to make everything work together. It is the force that is making that all happen all the time, day and night.

It is in your body, and it is in everything. As you pray, practice putting your attention on the force of Life within your body.  Do this as much or more than you put your attention on the intelligence of Life around you.  This will bring your awareness to the understanding that God is within that body.  With time the mind will warm up to the idea that you coexist with God in that body.

Life has always been with you.  It will always be with you. What is more, it is aware of what it is doing.

Gary