Since the heart is only known by God, how can we be SURE?

[Pressing-On]

Originally Posted by Jeanie

Thats right Rico, I wasn't telling the story to emphasis her mother (who was dead) but her father basically abandoned her emotionally.

He left her in a catholic convent for the nuns to raise, but they abused her.

She said he was very depressed all the time and would cry over losing her mother, he was like living with a ghost.

Anyway she is a pastors wife today but still struggles with whether God really loves her because of the pain she faced.

I think any traumatic experience whether it comes from a male or female, is going to skew anyone's view of God. People are the only thing we have to judge relationship with.

[Rico]

Originally Posted by Pressing-On

I think any traumatic experience whether it comes from a male or female, is going to skew anyone's view of God. People are the only thing we have to judge relationship with.

True, but our relationship with our Earthly father has more potential to affect our relationship with our Heavenly Father than other relationships would.

[Pressing-On]

Originally Posted by Rico

True, but our relationship with our Earthly father has more potential to affect our relationship with our Heavenly Father than other relationships would.

From my point of view as a woman, I think any bad human example is going to skew my view of God. It doesn't have to be a male.

As Christians we love and forgive. If I am not that kind of Christian woman my kids or anyone associated with my witness is going to have a skewed image of God because I taught them forgiveness and love and didn't exemplify it, as way of example.

My kids know that I love them to death!

[Rico]

Originally Posted by Pressing-On

My kids know that I love them to death!

Is this code for "I smother them entirely too much"? LOL

[Pressing-On]

Originally Posted by Rico

Is this code for "I smother them entirely too much"? LOL

Well, they are spoiled, but if I didn't who would?

[Elizabeth]

Originally Posted by Pressing-On

From my point of view as a woman, I think any bad human example is going to skew my view of God. It doesn't have to be a male.

As Christians we love and forgive. If I am not that kind of Christian woman my kids or anyone associated with my witness is going to have a skewed image of God because I taught them forgiveness and love and didn't exemplify it, as way of example.

My kids know that I love them to death!

Pressing my other *way forgotten* post was in response to Rico.

At that part of the thread we were discussing "fathers" so I shared a particular testimony in order to bring up another point.

I was hoping it would minister to those struggling with those issues we were discussing, and may open a window to a bigger picture.

Yes mom and dads can hurt our view of God, but right then someone was hurting about their dad, and Rico didnt quite understand my post, since it got mixed up in the shuffle of things.

[Pressing-On]

Originally Posted by Jeanie

Pressing my other *way forgotten* post was in response to Rico.

At that part of the thread we were discussing "fathers" so I shared a particular testimony in order to bring up another point.

I was hoping it would minister to those struggling with those issues we were discussing, and may open a window to a bigger picture.

Yes mom and dads can hurt our view of God, but right then someone was hurting about their dad, and Rico didnt quite understand my post, since it got mixed up in the shuffle of things.

Actually, Jeanie, I was trying to agree with your post, in the way, that it doesn't have to be a disappointment from only a man to have a skewed image of God. I think Rico was making that point.

I'm just saying as we are "epistles read of all men", we have a responsibility to be as much like Him as we can be or people we are reaching won't get it. They won't understand Him. If we are hard, they will view God as hard, etc.