Some years ago a woman by the name of Teresa came to talk to me about her experience of God. She was carrying negative images of God. For her, God was distant and demanding. He was like a policeman watching to catch her doing something wrong. He was also like a judge handing out sentences from on high. Needless to say Teresa was frightened of God and because of this she was finding it difficult to pray.
After listening to Teresa I asked her if she would be willing to try a new way of praying. I suggested that she spend ten minutes each day picturing in her mind what happened at the Baptism of Jesus. I invited her to do two things. Firstly, to imagine what it was like for Jesus to hear God the Father say to him, “You are my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” Secondly, to imagine that God the Father is saying the very same words to her, “Teresa, you are my beloved daughter in whom I am well pleased.” I asked her to notice what she was feeling as she heard God the Father telling her that he was pleased with her.
Three weeks later, Teresa came back to tell me how she was getting on. She said she was beginning to experience God differently. God was becoming easier to relate to. Rather than feeling that God was disappointed with her, she was beginning to feel that God was, in fact, pleased with her. Indeed, she was starting to accept that God knew her personally and that he was involved in her life.
The baptism of Jesus took place when he was an adult and it was a very significant event in his life. During his baptism Jesus had an overwhelming experience of unconditional love. He knew he was God’s beloved Son. He also knew that his Father took delight in him. What happened to Jesus at his baptism also happened to us at our baptism even though we were children and unaware of it. As our parents held us over the baptismal font, God the Father said to each of us, “You are my beloved in whom I am well pleased.” Unfortunately, because of life’s negative experiences this is a truth many of us find difficult to accept. Instead of believing in a loving and affirming God, we find ourselves believing in a demanding and judgemental God. Like Teresa, we need to find a way of getting rid of our negative images of God and of taking possession of the real relationship, the loving relationship, which God has with each of us. We need to find a way of claiming our belovedness. Perhaps a prayer exercise like the one Teresa was willing to try can help us.