Rejecting God, or an Image of God?

“One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek. That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.” – Psalm 27:4
 
When David wrote this, he was expressing a desire to see something that he had maybe caught a glimpse of. He seemed to grasp that the Lord was beautiful, yet he wanted to be able to behold it in a fuller way.
 
Personally, I feel that I am aware of God’s beauty much more than I ever have. I also am aware that it is something that is a revelation to us. The Spirit somehow shows us the goodness and beauty of the Lord, and it becomes a reality of our existence.
 
I also remember that there was a time when I had no idea of a God that was “beautiful”. My concept of God was that He was powerful, punitive, vengeful, and too holy to be near someone like me.
 
I didn’t know how to draw near to a God like that. I knew nothing of His goodness, mercy, or grace. He seemed mostly judicious and rather cold, rewarding only those who deserved it. So, I essentially ignored Him. Some would say I was rejecting Him. I would not commit my life to God when people asked me to. I didn’t want to go to church when I was invited.  People said I was rejecting God. They said that God wouldn’t “send” me to hell, but I would go there because I was “choosing” to go by rejecting God.
 
As I look back, I never rejected God. I may have rejected an image of God that I had in my mind, but I never rejected the beautiful, good, and kind Father that I’ve come to know. Somehow, I began to behold the beauty of the Lord. I saw it expressed in the gospel of Christ. I saw it on the cross of Christ. I saw it in the life of Jesus. I knew it in my heart.
 
He likes me!
 
His mercy endures forever! His forgiveness is unto infinity! His love NEVER stops!
 
Who is like that?! God is truly amazing and wonderful. His loving qualities are so deep and endless that there is no beauty like His.
 
I hope you are beholding the beauty of the Lord. If not, I hope you can at least consider that He loves you without any demands. God is the most benevolent and beautiful being there is.
 
God is Love.
 
“God has shined in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen is Jesus Christ.” – 2 Corinthians 4:6