What if the greatest obstacle to experiencing The Sacred (Or God/Spirit, or whatever name you use for the Divine) isn't "God" at all, but the image of God you've been carrying?
Many of us were taught to see "God" through the lens of fear, shame, obligation, or rules. But what if those images were never the whole and true story? What if God has been inviting you into greater freedom, not less?
In this follow-up to Britta's conversation with contemplative teacher Colleen Thomas, Britta explores how our earliest experiences of faith shape the way we relate to the Divine. Reading from Chapter 24 of Initiations in Love, she shares a deeply personal story of how a compassionate and wise spiritual director helped heal an old, fear-based image of God, not by answering every question, but by offering unconditional love.
Through guided reflection and journaling, Britta invites you to gently explore your own image of God, the experiences that have shaped it, and what it might mean to simply let yourself be loved.
Whether you call it; God, Spirit, Source, or Love, this episode is an invitation to discover that the deepest freedom may not come from striving harder, but from allowing yourself to receive the Love that has been waiting at the depth of your being all along.
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Resources and References:
Show Notes:
1:10 - Britta welcomes listeners and invites them to stay open to the word "God," exploring the possibility that what we were taught about God may be very different from who God truly is, and that any true spirituality always leads toward greater freedom, aliveness, and authenticity
4:15 - Britta reflects on Colleen's relationship with God and how our image of God shapes our spiritual lives, returning to Colleen's powerful realization that her deepest freedom is found in God and in allowing herself to be fully loved
7:30 - Britta introduces today's reading from Stage 4, The Emerging, Chapter 24, "Let God Love You," and reflects on how healing a fear based image of God may require not a different God, but a different experience of God
8:20 - Britta reads "Let God Love You" from her spiritual memoir, Initiations in Love, sharing how two very different encounters with spiritual teachers shaped her relationship with doubt, faith, acceptance, and the unconditional love of God
26:20 - Britta invites listeners to notice what arose while hearing the reading, including the emotions, memories, and images of God that may have surfaced, before moving into a time of reflection and journaling
27:50 - Britta offers the following journaling prompts:
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What image of God did I grow up with? In what ways has that image shaped my life, my faith, or my understanding of freedom?
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Have there been people or experiences that helped me encounter God in a new way? What changed in me because of them?
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Is there an area of my life where I sense God gently inviting me into greater freedom or greater trust?
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What would it mean for me, today, to simply let God love me?
31:25 - Britta closes with a reflection on becoming more open and receptive to a Love that is not threatened by our questions or disappointed by our humanity, and invites listeners to let themselves be loved into greater freedom and aliveness
Production:
This podcast is produced, mixed, and edited by Cardinal Studio. For more information about how to start your own podcast, please visit www.cardinalstudio.co or e-mail mike@cardinalstudio.co.
