February 5

God Is All of These and More

God is “He” and “She” and “It” and even more than that. In the name of simplifying, we usually say “He” because that has been recognized as the so-called neutral pronoun. But God need not be a father. God can be a mother also. God can be a brother, a sister, a friend, a tree. God is everything.

God is Spirit, and Spirit is above all these distinctions. To realize God as Spirit is what is called spiritual practice. Unfortunately, even in the spiritual life, problems come up about male and female. Arguments about men and women don’t belong in a church or synagogue or ashram. There should be no discrimination against one or the other. When you talk about the physical body, you are talking about flesh, blood and bone. Spirit is above all these things. If you are going to fight about male and female, don’t call yourself a spiritual person. Spirit has no gender.

Still, we love the Spirit or God and want it to manifest in some form or other so that we can express our devotion. If you love the image of a father, let God come as a father to you. If you love the image of a mother, God can manifest as a mother for you. If you adore nature, call God by the name of Nature. God is all of these things and more.