I was reflecting this evening on, "What is God's personality? What is He like when He talks with me?" Here are my observations:

• He always refers to me as "child". Sometimes he'll prefix it with a positive adjective. If He's especially pleased with me, He'll say "Beloved Child". That's if I've been extra good. Other times if He's amused with me, he'll call me "Silly Child".


• In terms of personality, He's infinitely patient with me. No human being would put up with one thousandth of what I dish His way. If I'm angry with Him, or disappointed, I tell Him. I've ranted and raved at Him more times than I can remember. And He never, ever gets angry with me, or frustrated. Conversations with God are totally unique in that way: there's never any sense of loss of patience, or anger. He will, however, express disappointment with me: more on that in a later bullet.


• He's unfathomably kind. He always tells me He loves me. But my parents do that too-- God's kindess isn't like human kindness. With humans, no matter how virtuous they are, you can always sense the limits, or their insecurities (God bless them), or their own need to be fulfilled in some way. Theologically, we recognize God as complete: we can't add anything to Him. And in conversation with Him, that point really comes across: it's not like conversing with a human.


• Although He is everything I have described above, He is also quite firm with me, and lets me know when I've sinned, or done things wrong. He is, in fact, quite pointed with me: "I love you, but you must cease this (sinful) activity at once, and not do it again." Or, "We have spoken about this subject many times: you already know what you are to do, so why do you continue to disobey?"


• In His pointedness, He is simultaneously the world's greatest listener. He doesn't put up with my excuses on the one hand-- He is resolute-- but never in a way which makes his love feel conditional, or like He'll give up on me. Absolutely never! Even when he chastises me in the most assertive terms, there is such warmth beneath His words. It's firm and gentle, at the same time.


• The only times I can't "understand" Him are when my mind is noisy. I can hear Him, but it's like having an old TV on channel 2, with no input signal: it's static, and I can't quite make out the words. Prayer time like this is sad. In other words, He's always broadcasting, 24/7/365, but I'm not always listening, or if I am my mind may not be clear enough to interpret Him. But I can always sense His presence, if I pause and pay attention to it.


• Finally, he is absolutely, one hundred percent constant. Humans are moody and unpredictable! The same person may be joyful one day and act so, then the next are downtrodden and act in that way. With God, there is only one mood: He is always, without literally any variation, exactly the same. And this is the biggest reason why I know I'm not simply originating this voice in my head! I can feel the lowest of the low, or the highest of the high, and it doesn't matter: when God talks to me, it's always Him-- it's very clearly originating outside of myself, and my own mood or thoughts or emotions.