Between book illustrations, movies, and artists’ renderings, we have no shortage of images we propose represent the face of God. Perhaps the most common image is that of a wise old man, but there is no consenses.

The problem is twofold. We humans seem to require a visual image to grasp the reality of an existence. If we can’t see something, we struggle to accept its existence. If we can’t see something with our own eyes, we invent some type of instrument to expand our visual ability.

Secondly, we are handicapped by the limits of our five senses. We are unable to see, hear, feel, or otherwise detect anything in the spirit realm. That leads us to endlessly speculate on the very existence of a God we cannot detect. Perhaps the closest we come is through emotion, that mystical feeling we all experience at various times. Emotion, it seems, straddles the border between the five senses of our physical world and the undefined realm of the spiritual dimension.

And perhaps it is that emotional element that causes us to imagine the image of God to be that wise, fatherly figure. After all, we call God the “Father,” and we imagine our God to be the ultimate protector, the ultimate ruler, and the ultimate refuge. We appeal to God for forgiveness, much as we might plead with our human father for forgiveness for our misbehavior.

When we view our spirituality through that lens, it might also give us an insight as to why Jesus came to us in human form. Perhaps God, in His wisdom, gave us His son in human form at the time when humanity had evolved to a state where imaginary images were no longer sufficient. Humanity needed a connection that could be recognized via the five senses.

Perhaps, if we want to “see” God, we need to quiet the static of our five senses and reach out with our emotions.

There is an old expression – “seeing is believing.” Perhaps we can see God by triggering that emotional connection by adopting the reverse of that expression.

Believing is seeing.

Believing is seeing.