Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam is one of the most iconic paintings in the world.

The painting completed in 1511, depicts God breathing life into Adam as told in the Bible in the book of Genesis.

If you look closely you see that God’s hand is reaching towards Adam but they do not touch. Many have interpreted this gap as the human condition of being separated from God, our creator.

I know for much of my early life I felt disconnected from God.

In my past, I felt like God was this distant, judging authority figure.  Mentally I envisioned a bearded man, perhaps in part because of the prevalence of these images like that in Michelangelo’s painting.

Perhaps I took too literally that we were made in God’s image. While we are made in His (God’s) image it does not mean that God is a reflection of our own image. Our view of God can however mirror how we feel about ourselves. For example when we judge ourselves we may see God as wrathful and vengeful. This is contrasted with the unconditionally loving Father-God that was described in the Parable of the Prodigal son.

“Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence“

As I have grown in my spirituality and re-established my connection with God, I understand that God is omnipotent and omnipresent.  God’s energy is the source of all there is. While we may not able to see it or understand it, it is there nonetheless.  We are limited in our ability to describe the ineffable God. This is where personal experience and knowing is the only sure way.

Changing Perspectives

Our perception of life can be changed by changing how we look at things- perception is often reality.  For example in the case of the Michelangelo painting what if God was not a levitating man, but an incredible, infinite energy source.

When I think of God like a source of high potential energy – like a giant battery I am reminded that at high voltages, even air can break down and conduct electrical currents.  While there may be a physical gap in the air, energy would still be flowing. This is why high voltage electric lines are so high in the air and located away from other structures to prevent any arching.

So while we may think we are physically apart from God, God’s infinite power and love flows through us, always.