Language Journal: Heavenly Parent For God

Language Journal (reflections on each term done at the end of each week):

Week 1: This week I used the phrase “Heavenly Parent” for God. Throughout my life, God has been seen as Father with all of the patriarchal trappings that go along with that (strict, strong, etc.). I utilized the non-gendered term “parent” to see how it feels.

It was difficult for me to use the term “Parent” during the first two days. I grew up in an extremely toxic household; my parents tried to do the best they could but both of them were very troubled. I found myself uncomfortable using the term because it instantly brought up feelings of abandonment and fear.

On the third day, I spent time meditating on the word “parent” during my morning quiet time. Inside
One woman in particular told me that she would use the phrase in the future.

Week 2: This week I used the phrase “Divine One.” When I used that term, I found myself finding a distance from God but also the term added some awe to my perception of God. I would pray to the Divine One and would get an image of the universe with the millions upon millions of miles of planets and stars. The awe would bring about a touch of fear in me because I never knew what to expect. The distance was not a bad thing but my feeling was that the Divine One was worthy of unending praise.

“Divine One” brought to mind to mind images of something so large that I could not even comprehend it. When I did my daily prayers, I had an image of being connected with the universe. In fact, when I thought of God during this I found myself felling interconnected with all beings in a very different and profound
This week has often been difficult for me because I attempt to “be” in the sadness of Jesus’ death. I try to imagine the confusion and shock that these disciples must have felt as they realized that Jesus was coming to blows with the power structure.

“Sustainer of All” played a dual role in my mind: God sustained the disciples and Jesus during that week as well as sustained me throughout my life. All of us often forgot that the Sustainer of All was always with us but that did not make it any less true. I felt joy and serenity when I ruminated on the term, realizing that the Sustainer of All supported me at difficult times in my life.

I really enjoyed doing this activity for many reasons. One, this activity opened my brain to alternative images and words for God. As I reflect on this activity, I am noticing that my head is filled with other words/terms that I shall use for God, such as “Spirit of Life”, “Nurturer”, “Ultimate Reality”, and