This Is How to Find GodFinding God is both easy and impossible. (Don’t worry about the impossible part, we will see how it is a good thing.) Easy because God is everywhere, is in each of us, is the creator of the world around us, and is an active partner in each of our spiritual journeys. Impossible because God is truth itself, is as big as the universe, and is the architect of eternity. Searching for God is a mystery both simple and profound. There is not one but many answers to how to find God. How to Discover God as CreatorScience and religion have a shared beginning: the first cause—the moment that started all other moments. In this way science helps point us in the direction of God. We can look at the story of evolution, the patterns in nature, the balance of life, and the grandeur of space to learn much about the nature of the creator behind it. In the pattern and poetry of the world around us we can seek and find God. God is the creator of all things and beings in the universe and the secrets of creation are shrouded in mysteries, including: the beginning of time, the beginning of life on our planet, and the spark of life entering the womb. At the same time, we each can have the chance to find God, by experiencing creation for ourselves in the way we are each unique; can express creativity, through art, music, or ideas; and can even share in the creation of new life, as parents. Experiencing for ourselves the quality of something that is a mystery is where we discover God as a creator. How to Know God as LoveThe simple way to know God as love is by and through love. There are two sides to this. The way love passes from others through us and the way love flows through us to others. Each way expands and enhances the other. Love is like a circuit. But in this case God is both the wire and the electricity. Describing love as a circuit might be a surprise for some of us. When we think about a godlike figure somewhere up in the sky it could be natural to think of God’s love as unidirectional—from God to us. What is missing from the picture is that there is a part of God that is within each of us too. God within is the wiring that helps us to know and to share love. Open yourself to this circuit and you will know God as love. How to Share Your Life with GodWhen we think about seeking God it is not obvious to think about God as a person. Let us rewind all the way back to an idea found in the old testament, “God created man in his own image.” What this refers to is not our human form but the nature of who we are as personalities. God is knowable and wants to be known. In a similar way to how we can know each other as persons, we can know God. This introduces the idea of a relationship with God. A relationship that can grow with care and attention. One that deepens with the more time spent together. The willingness to share your inner life with God is all that is needed to foster this relationship. How to Experience God as a PartnerAs we invite God to share our inner lives we also get to know God better. The senses of God as love, God as creator, and God as knowable can all deepen. We get the chance to experience more of God’s spiritual nature. You will find a distinct quality of presence in that connection. To respond to that presence helps us learn to find God as a partner. That presence has qualities of divine truth, beauty, and goodness. It can be thought about as a form of perfection. It presents the chance to be our best self. When we respond to our highest understanding of what that presence is, we can grow closer to God. We also become more like God in that each choice becomes a part of who we are. In this way God becomes a partner in our spiritual journey and our own growth—one that we can learn to rely on. How to Trust GodReally, when we talk about how to trust God, we mean how to have faith. It will always be true that we can know for certain less than what we can choose to believe. Belief becomes faith when it motivates and shapes the way we live. Faith is learning to rely on God to be just behind the veil of what we cannot one hundred percent know. We have talked about a few different ways to experience God in our life: the quality of God as love, God as the Creator of the world around us, and the active presence of God within. None of these ideas are actually separate. While we have to write about them in sequence, in our experience they are one entity. They are all bigger than the single word they fit into—God. This unifying quality of God as one combined with all the attributes and facets of God in and around us can provide the mental framework for growing one’s faith or trust in God. We can lean into the direction where we suspect God will be and test and learn how to rely on God to support us in where we lean. While faith is not science, the principle of striving to explore and grasp God’s mystery is a big part of how to develop faith in God. Discover More about GodCultivating an understanding of God as big as the universe and also present within each of our own lives is no easy task. It is also difficult to find consistent and reliable information about God that aligns with our own experience of God’s nature. The Urantia Book includes a revelation of God that fills in the picture of who God is and how to find God. We welcome you to explore its pages to help you on your journey of how to find God. Click here for a brief overview of Who is God? as revealed in The Urantia Book And here's an inspirational five-minute video about revealing God by becoming like him... and seeing God in the actions of others: The Invisible Made Visible. |